3 mind-blowing stats from Raptors’ start to 2022-23 season

1. Pascal Siakam is better than he’s ever been

When Siakam declared his desire to be a top-five player, it was fair to simply brush that quote off and chalk it up to a confident player trying to pump himself up. After four games in 2022-23, one of which was a 37-point triple-double masterpiece against the Nets, Pascal has continued to prove that last year was no fluke.

It took Siakam 284 games to record a triple-double in the NBA, but he has now recorded three in his last eight games. Siakam is now second all-time in Raptors history in triple-doubles behind Kyle Lowry. Siakam’s evolution into a consistent All-NBA presence is becoming clearer by the day.

Toronto Raptors star Pascal Siakam is leveling up.

Siakam has performed while Barnes has had some injury troubles, Anunoby and Trent have been very inconsistent from quarter to quarter, and Fred VanVleet is taking far fewer shots per game than he did last year. The bench outside of Achiuwa remains a big question mark.

Siakam is hungry for that supermax contract, which he can earn if he makes All-NBA for the second season in a row. Making good on that promise would vault Siakam to the highest possible tier there is in the NBA, which would have been thought of as unprecedented a few years ago.