Since Pascal Siakam’s injury against the Dallas Mavericks on Nov. 4, the Toronto Raptors regressed. They became the version of themselves that battled to 48 wins in 2021-22, emphasizing possessions over all else. They collected 23 offensive rebounds and forced 17 turnovers in their next game against the Chicago Bulls, a win. All told, they averaged 12 more shots per game than opponents over the stretch.
(The breakdown there was a preposterous 16.5 offensive rebounds per game, by far the most in the league, and forced 18.9 turnovers per game, also by far the most.)
At the same time, the Raptors saw their halfcourt offense sink to a miserable dead last in the league during the stretch without Siakam, scoring 84.1 points per 100 plays, more than 12 points below league average. They struggled to an effective field goal percentage of 47.8, also last in the league. (Opponents had the second-best effective field goal percentage in the league against Toronto, a preposterous 57.8.) Bricking so many attempts certainly helps a team grab rebounds in the first place; that the Raptors went 5-5 was a minor miracle and a huge win in the identity column for Toronto.
So on first glance it might have been a negative when the Raptors collected zero offensive rebounds in their first quarter with Pascal Siakam back in the lineup against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Although, that depends on your perception:
You can’t grab an offensive rebound if you make your shot. Also: It’s good to make your shot. And, a related fact: The Raptors won that first quarter.
“It’s always a learning process and just trying to figure out who you’re going to be as a team,” said Fred VanVleet after the game.
With Siakam back in the lineup, the Raptors can finally play normal basketball once again. Sure, it’s good to be unique sometimes. But the Raptors have increasingly been using their identity as a means to paper over real weaknesses rather than emphasize strengths.
Much of Toronto’s ability to return to normality flows from Siakam’s individual talents. He is unmatched across the league in his approach to the offensive end. As Ol’ Dirty Bastard said: “There ain’t no father to [his] style.”
He used his 30 minutes against the Cavaliers as a mosaic of his time in the league. He started, of course, with his first baskets coming via the spin move. First came a late-clock isolation after Toronto’s offense failed to produce, and he reached the paint with a spin and the layup. Then he grabbed a defensive rebound and spun in the lane for another layup.
In the second quarter he decided to channel his inner Kawhi Leonard with the jumper. First, he hit a buzzer-beating corner triple on a baseline out of bounds play. Then he hit a deep stepback 2-pointer, then a step-in 2-pointer. He finished his showcase with a catch in the post, drawing a double team, and resetting above the arc for a drive, stepping back for another midrange splash from the baseline.
He turned to his ability to draw fouls in the third quarter, putting the Raptors in bonus only a few minutes into the half. He has been excellent at drawing shooting fouls since last season, but his shooting-foul percentage of 16.8 this season is his career best and in the 88th percentile for his position leaguewide.
Later in the quarter, he turned to the spectacular with a leaping, twisting touch pass in transition to O.G. Anunoby for the uncontested dunk. He was consistently great at creating for teammates, finding cutters from the post and passing out after drawing bodies in the pick and roll.
“Great to have Pascal back out there,” said Scottie Barnes. “You see him doing amazing things, score the ball at a higher level, being efficient, rebounding, pushing the ball, the things that he brings to the game, it’s amazing to see. Watching Pascal play is like ‘wow, damn.’ Every move he makes, the step backs, the spin moves, double spin moves, you know it’s coming but still, ‘bang.'”
I asked Barnes — who said last year that Siakam was his favourite player — if he wanted to get into the gym to copy Siakam’s moves. “Low key,” he said. “Low key.”
If the Raptors are playing normal basketball, so too is Siakam. This was nothing special for him.
“I felt I did Okay,” he said with complete seriousness. “I got to continue to get better, but once I get my legs under me I can kind of provide a little bit more.”
Later: “It wasn’t nothing super hard or difficult or stuff I had to force. It just felt like the game.”
Since the start of 2021-22 to this point, the Raptors had played only seven games with a field-goal attempt differential of -6 or worse. They aren’t used to giving up more offensive rebounds than opponents and committing more turnovers. The Raptors were previously 2-5 in those games. In fact, the Raptors hadn’t yet played a game with seven or fewer offensive rebounds and nine or fewer forced turnovers.
“They actually kicked our butts on the offensive glass, so give them credit for that, but usually we’re doing that to people,” said VanVleet. “To be able to come out of here with a win, I’ll take any win we can get.”
But against Cleveland the Raptors found consistent success using that same formula which has yielded only misery to this point. Defense and Siakam were the keys. The Cavaliers had a lowly effective field goal percentage of 42.1. Toronto’s halfcourt offense scored 97.5 points per 100 plays, a huge step forward into the realm of average. They didn’t grab offensive rebounds or force turnovers. Instead, they made shots and forced misses. Regular basketball stuff. And for the Raptors, regular can finally mean winning. Their possession-winning identity now can be a cherry on top rather than the whole dessert. That’s what Siakam unlocks. He is a two-way superstar, scorer and creator, elite rebounder, and capable of shifting a team’s identity entirely on his own. Not bad for a first day back at work.
