Pascal Siakam and the Toronto Raptors came into the season with the expectation of being a playoff team that could escape the entropy festival known as the play-in tournament, and that is exactly where Nick Nurse’s team finds themselves after 16 games.
Toronto stands at 9-7 despite multiple big names sustaining some serious injuries in the face of one of the league’s most grueling schedules. Even with names like Dalano Banton starting multiple games, the Raptors have found a way to keep reeling off wins.
While rivals like the 76ers and Nets are sputtering out of control thanks to some injuries and friction, Toronto has been able to pull off some victories against teams like the Heat despite so many players being impacted by injuries or a poor run of form. Given the circumstances, Toronto is doing alright.
These three Raptors, in particular, are doing much better than most of the preseason prognosticators guessed they would have been at this juncture. If this level of play can be replicated in what looks like a very trying portion of the schedule, Toronto should continue to make itself known as a legit force in the East.
3 Toronto Raptors who are exceeding expectations.
3. Christian Koloko
When Koloko was drafted, not a single soul would have been surprised if he was sent down to the G League to marinate until this coaching staff deemed him ready to produce. While injuries are part of the reason he’s stayed in the rotation, his post play has been exceptional at times.
Koloko has averaged 4.0 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks per game in his first few handfuls of NBA action. While that’s impressive enough by himself, his most important and influential accomplishment actually doesn’t show up in the box score.
Christian Koloko has been better than the Toronto Raptors expected.
Koloko has been such an effective rim protector that Toronto can afford to be as aggressive as possible, making their length and tenacity even more difficult to stop. Once the lightbulb turns on offensively, Koloko will really kick things up a notch.
With Banton now scoring 27 points in certain games, Masai Ujiri’s status as an elite drafter is only going to grow stronger with time. Koloko is off to a promising start for someone who was considered a project that wouldn’t see any minutes with the big club.
2. O.G. Anunoby
Raptors fans have been preaching the gospel of Anunoby for years now, as his durability issues and lack of hype outside of Canada have made it difficult for the larger NBA media landscape to give him his proper level of credit. That’s all starting to change in the middle of this dominant two-way season.
Anunoby has averaged 21.7 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.7 steals per game in the seven contests he’s played without Siakam. Anunoby has an outside shot at becoming the first player in over 30 years to average more than three steals per game. This is elite production in every sense of the word.
O.G. Anunoby is getting better for the Toronto Raptors.
Anunoby may have gotten off to a rough start on the offensive side of the ball, but he has quickly remedied whatever issues he had. At a time when Scottie Barnes and Gary Trent Jr. have been struggling with efficiency, this boost from Toronto’s two-way star was very much needed.
While an All-Defensive team nomination is a virtual lock, should he manage to stay healthy, Anunoby is now firmly in the All-Star race. If he keeps scoring like this and locking down the best opposing player, irrespective of size and pedigree, the voters will have no choice but to accept his greatness.
1. Pascal Siakam
Siakam was not shy about declaring his intention to eventually become a top-five player in the league during the preseason. While even some diehard Raptors fans looked at this quote with some degree of skepticism, Pascal made good on every bit of that declaration before his injury.
Siakam averaged 24.8 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 7.7 assists per game before his injury. All of those numbers would be career-best marks for Pascal by a significant margin, showing that we still haven’t seen the absolute best version of what No. 43 can be in this offense.
The Toronto Raptors have leaned heavily on Pascal Siakam.
Siakam has been asked to be a backup point guard, traditional center, and lead post scorer, oftentimes within the same games, and he’s made the Raptors a better team in every area as a result. Calling what he’s done mercurial or uncommon within the confines of the NBA would be the understatement of the year.
The Raptors have shown they can tread water without Siakam, but their prospects of making a deep playoff run could come into question. Fans need to hope that his groin heals easy, as it could be the difference between getting a high playoff seed and being relegated to another quick exit.