While fellow Raptors forwards Scottie Barnes and OG Anunoby seem to have adjusted quickly to new head coach Darko Rajakovic’s offensive system, Pascal Siakam has taken longer to get going this fall. That’s why Siakam’s 31-point, 12-rebound showing in a road victory over Dallas on Wednesday was such an encouraging sign, writes Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca.
Prior to Wednesday’s win, Siakam had averaged just 15.4 PPG and 6.1 RPG on 41.2% shooting in Toronto’s first seven games, well below his averages in recent years. Rajakovic, who spoke before Wednesday’s game about his belief in Siakam, predicted that a breakout was coming.
It’s a big year for both the Raptors and Siakam, who will be an unrestricted free agent next July if he doesn’t sign an extension before then. With Anunoby and Gary Trent Jr. among the team’s other key players eligible for 2024 free agency, Toronto will have to use this season to determine which pieces are long-term keepers.
Barnes’ strong start to the season seemed “inseparable” from Siakam’s struggles, according to Danny Chau of The Ringer, who says that figuring out whether those two forwards can coexist and thrive alongside one another is atop Toronto’s 2023-24 to-do list.
In a pair of articles for The Athletic, Eric Koreen takes a closer look at the Raptors’ developmental plan for lottery pick Gradey Dick and considers which of the club’s early-season trends should be taken most seriously. Koreen notes that Toronto ranks in the bottom third of the league in both defensive rebounding and free throw attempts, and suggests those trends may be difficult to reverse.
When he decided to play in the G League this season, Justise Winslow viewed the Raptors’ organization as a good fit for his skill set, given the team’s fondness for lengthy, versatile forwards, writes Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca. One of the Raptors 905’s affiliate players, Winslow is still rehabbing an ankle injury from last season and won’t be available when the team’s season gets underway on Friday, though he’s doing contact drills and is enthusiastic about nearing the end of the rehab process. “I’m doing really well, man,” Winslow said. “Attacking this rehab process every day, you know, doing things that help me mentally stay in a good place and, you know, find peace and stay patient within the journey. So, it’s been a really good process.”