Pascal Siakam’s Terrific Start

Pascal Siakam is off to a hot start in the 2022-23 NBA season.

Right now, Siakam is easily a top-10 MVP candidate and has been playing amazing basketball. He has stepped up to the plate in leading this Toronto Raptors team with Fred VanVleet after Kawhi Leonard left for the Los Angeles Clippers a few years ago.

Siakam has made significant steps toward improvement in each of his NBA seasons. Currently, Siakam averages 25 points, 9.4 rebounds, 7.7 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game while shooting 47.9 percent from the field, 34.2 percent from three, and 72.5 percent from the free-throw line. He has improved his numbers significantly in points, rebounds, and assists from last season.

The Raptors are currently the fifth-best team in the Eastern Conference at 6-5. However, although their record may not look very good, Toronto has impressive wins over good playoff teams. The Raptors have beaten the Cavaliers, Bulls, 76ers, Hawks, and Heat. They also blew out a red-hot Spurs team, with the final score being 143-100 and Siakam leading the way with a 22-point triple-double.

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Siakam has done a great job filling the Raptors’ leadership position and putting them in a great position for this season. However, there are parts of his game where I would like to see him improve going forward into this season.

I would like to see him improve his shooting percentage, mainly from the free-throw line. His efficiency from the free-throw line is off to a bad start, and he has shot poorly from the line since his sophomore year. He needs to get back to being an 80-plus percent free-throw shooter, especially since he’s averaging his most free-throws per game in his career.

Siakam is getting 7.7 free throws per game and only making 5.6. If he can improve from 5.6 makes per game to 6.6, that would put him at about 85 percent from the free-throw line. It’s only 11 games into the season, and I expect him to find a good rhythm further down the line, which will improve his free-throw percentage and his three-point percentage.

Overall, I’ve been impressed with Siakam’s play this year. He’s looking like an All-NBA player and a lock for an All-Star Spot. Hopefully, he continues to work on his craft, and we could see even better results deeper into this season.