4 lessons learned from Raptors’ surprising run in 2022 Playoffs
By Avishai Sol
![TORONTO, ON - JANUARY 23: Fred VanVleet #23 of the Toronto Raptors leads the team in a huddle (Photo by Mark Blinch/Getty Images) TORONTO, ON - JANUARY 23: Fred VanVleet #23 of the Toronto Raptors leads the team in a huddle (Photo by Mark Blinch/Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/847e03ecd30731400793be2cf0006674a636faf27299c413aab20e8c2b6e4c0d.jpg)
2. Pascal Siakam is elite but not a superstar
Siakam’s rise this season is something to be proud of, but now the team has moved from the rebuild stage to the consistent winner phase. Fans and analysts must take a look at Toronto’s stars with a more critical eye.
Siakam proved himself these past six months in a way fans couldn’t have imagined. He’s an All-NBA talent, but now that the team is looking to make a run in the post-season, fans must hold our top dog to the standard of the others around the league.
He’s good, but to think he can reach the level of a Luka Doncic or a Giannis Antetokounmpo is optimistic to the point of foolishness. He proved in 2019 that he could be the tertiary star on a championship-winning team. This season, he showed the world he’s reached the level of a secondary.
That still leaves aspects to be desired in the team’s long-term goals.
How good can Pascal Siakam be?
The most challenging thing to find as an NBA GM is a Finals MVP. Not an All-Star, not an All-NBA man, but a player that can be the number one guy on a championship team. One can barely count the players who fit that description on one hand, but that’s what it takes to win it all. Will Siakam eventually hit this tier? We can’t say right now.
Siakam is playing the role of a number one guy, and he did a pretty decent impersonation of that sort of leader in these playoffs. Siakam taking a step forward would be a significant boost to Toronto’s short-term ambitions, but that would require some major improvement on his side.