3 hot takeaways after Raptors split two-game series with 76ers

1. Pascal Siakam is dominating

The Raptors eschewed making a huge offseason trade and decided to run things back with their 2021-22 core. They wouldn’t have done that unless they had the utmost confidence in Siakam becoming a no-doubt All-NBA performer once again.

Siakam is playing like an MVP candidate, both in the eyes of NBA.com and everyone who hasn’t sustained a massive head injury since the start of the season.25.3 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 7.7 assists per game with a 57% true shooting percentage is mind-boggling.

Toronto Raptors: Pascal Siakam is playing his best basketball.

Defenses are obviously going to adjust to what Siakam is doing, but that shouldn’t necessarily mean that Pascal will take a huge step back. The fact that he’s able to make a positive impact on the game in so many areas is what will ultimately vault him toward an even more select tier.

The Raptors trust Siakam to be an occasional point guard while being the team’s top rebounder, one of their best interior defenders, and an elite isolation scorer. The list of players who can do all those things with efficiency and success in the win-loss column is very short.