Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam missed the start of the 2021-22 NBA season due to his recovery from shoulder surgery this offseason. Spicy P has since made his return on the floor. Unfortunately, his return has not translated into wins. In fact, Toronto has lost every game Siakam has appeared in this season. The Raptors have lost six of their last seven. Their only win through this stretch came against the Philadelphia 76ers, a game the Cameroonian did not play in.

Through five games, Siakam is averaging 14.4 points and 6.4 rebounds while shooting just 41.9 percent from the field. Those are all well below his numbers of 22.9 points and 7.3 rebounds on 45.3 percent shooting in the 2019-20 season, where he made it to the All-Star Game as a starter. In those five losses, Siakam recorded a minus-14 in the 160 minutes he stepped on the floor.

As a Raptors fan, it's easy to coincide the team's losses to Siakam's appearances. Still, Toronto's recent slump should not fall on Siakam alone. Raptors Nation shouldn't be quick to lose their confidence in their All-Star forward despite his struggles to start his 2021-22 campaign. Here are four reasons to still believe in Pascal Siakam.

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Reasons to believe in Pascal Siakam

1. He just returned from injury

Raptors fans should give Siakam some room to find his rhythm as he just made his return to basketball. The 27-year-old is still getting his timing and rhythm back in check and should be fine moving forward, as long as he stays healthy.

Siakam injured his left shoulder near the end of the 2020-21 season, subsequently missing Toronto's last four games of the campaign. The Cameroonian underwent surgery during the offseason, as the team announced on June 11. Siakam was slated to go through a five-month recovery period and returned as scheduled on Nov. 7. against the Brooklyn Nets.

Toronto is still exercising some caution for its 2017 first-round pick. They recently held him out on the second game of a back-to-back set, and that trend should continue for the time being as he continues to regain his conditioning.

So give him some slack. He'll eventually get there.

2. He really only had just one atrocious game

All things considered, despite his production and efficiency being down, Siakam has only really had one bad outing. That came in their brutal loss to the Utah Jazz on Thursday. Siakam was pretty much a no-show in their 119-103 loss to the Jazz, as he recorded just four points, five rebounds, and two assists while going 2-of-14 from the field and 0-of-4 from long distance.

In his two games prior, it definitely looked like Siakam was regaining his All-Star form. He turned in 25 points, 12 rebounds, and seven assists against the Detroit Pistons last Saturday, and he followed that up with 20 points, six rebounds, and six assists against the Portland Trail Blazers. While the Raptors should have definitely gotten at least a split in those two games, Siakam was still a positive on the floor in both outings. With that, Siakam seems to be already finding his rhythm before running into one of the best defensive teams in the NBA.

Just chalk up Thursday's performance against the Jazz as a bad day in the office for Spicy P.

3. He is still in his prime

At 27 years old, Pascal Siakam is very much still in his prime. It's not as if Siakam is about to fall off from the cliff he stood on when he became an All-Star starter two years ago. And despite picking fourth in the 2021 NBA Draft and taking a 20-year-old Scottie Barnes as a potential franchise changer, the New Mexico State standout hasn't outgrown the timeline the Raptors have.

Toronto doesn't seem to have any intentions to tank and is happy with getting a player of Barnes' caliber for the future. Thus, Siakam is still very much an important piece for this squad if they want to continue competing in the Eastern Conference.

At his top form, Siakam is a multi-skilled big man who can score on all three levels. Having averaged 4.0 assists over the past three seasons, he is able to create plays for his teammates as well. He is also capable of defending multiple positions with his length and versatility.

4. He fits well into what the Raptors are trying to build

When the Raptors took Scottie Barnes in the draft, some believed this was the sign that made Siakam an expendable piece. Barnes is capable of doing the same things Siakam does, like being able to create for himself as well as for his teammates. He also has the same defensive versatility and intensity as Spicy P. That's why many wondered, where does that leave the Cameroon forward?

Well, it seems like Masai Ujiri and Nick Nurse's blueprint has been amassing like-sized wings and forwards who have a lot of length and versatility. That trend became obvious when they selected Scottie Barnes over Jalen Suggs as the No. 4 overall pick in this past year's draft. Siakam pretty much still fits that mold of the prototypical player the Raptors want.

Having these lengthy, disruptive forwards ranging from 6-foot-7 to 6-foot-9 should be a nightmare defensively for opposing offenses. Siakam should wreck havoc as a part of this group, and the Raptors will need him even more now that OG Anunoby is out for a bit.