Pascal Siakam's excellence, Gary Trent Jr.'s shooting and lingering bench issues: First impressions from Raptors' opening six games

Jordan Greer

Pascal Siakam's excellence, Gary Trent Jr.'s shooting and lingering bench issues: First impressions from Raptors' opening six games image

The Raptors have hit the six-game mark of the 2022-23 season, so clearly we all know how the rest of the campaign is going to play out, right?

OK, maybe the sample size is still a little bit too small. But Toronto's games against Cleveland, Brooklyn, Miami and Philadelphia at least gave fans a blurry outline of the team's biggest strengths and weaknesses.

With 76 games left on the regular season schedule, let's take a way-too-early look at the Raptors' performance, starting with the best player on the team.

(All stats current as of Oct. 29)

SIGN UP TO WATCH EVERY GAME ON NBA LEAGUE PASS: U.S. and U.K. | All other countries

Pascal Siakam is once again playing at an All-NBA level

After being selected to the All-NBA Third Team last season, Siakam has taken the floor with the laser focus of someone who wants to be bumped up to the First Team.

The numbers speak for themselves. Siakam is averaging career-highs in points (25.3), rebounds (9.2) and assists (7.7) per game. Only three players in franchise history have ever averaged a 20-5-5 line through six games: Siakam, Kyle Lowry (2019-20) and Vince Carter (2001-02).

But Siakam is doing more than just racking up stats. As The Sporting News' Scott Rafferty recently noted, Siakam appears to be extremely comfortable operating as the No. 1 offensive option.

His usage is way up from last season (25.8 to 30.0 usage percentage), and he is making the right decisions with the ball, whether that means punishing defenders as a scorer or creating for others as a facilitator. He already has two games with double-digit assists after logging six such games in 2021-22.

Siakam may not be able to stay on this level for the entire season, but at age 28, it's possible that he is ready to make another leap.

Gary Trent Jr. is here to get buckets — and buckets only

Through six games, the Raptors' second-leading scorer isn't O.G. Anunoby, Scottie Barnes or Fred VanVleet. No, that honor belongs to Trent, who has not been shy about pulling the trigger from anywhere on the court.

Trent is averaging 19.2 points per game while shooting 39.3 percent from 3-point range on high volume. He has never lacked confidence in his shot, and Toronto will keep encouraging him to launch triples, especially when he finds his way to the corner.

There is one mild criticism you could throw at Trent, though. It would be nice if he helped out in other areas.

Game Points Rebounds Assists FG-FGA 3P-3PA
vs. Cavaliers 19 5 0 5-12 4-8
at Nets 14 1 0 6-16 2-7
at Heat 23 1 2 7-18 5-12
at Heat 18 1 2 7-19 4-12
vs. 76ers 27 0 0 11-16 5-10
vs. 76ers 14 4 3 6-15 2-7

If nothing else, the guy is consistent. That right arm is for buckets only.

The Raptors understand the importance of every possession

Five of Toronto's games have been decided by three, four, three, eight and 10 points. With those close calls to start the season, the Raptors have quickly learned the value of each possession.

They have been a below-average team offensively — the Raptors are ranked No. 23 in offensive rating — but they are tied with the 76ers for the third-lowest amount of turnovers per game (12.0) and hold the fifth-highest assist-to-turnover ratio in the league (1.97).

In addition to taking care of the ball, Toronto is maximizing its opportunities in transition. The team is third in transition possessions per game (22.7) and transition points per game (27.0).

As good as Siakam has been, he is not the same kind of offensive hub as Giannis Antetokounmpo or Nikola Jokic, a star who can single-handedly lift an offense. That means the Raptors must continue to win the turnover battle and push the pace to produce easier scoring chances.

As Toronto head coach Nick Nurse put it after a win over Miami, "We know we've got to guard, and create some offense out of our defense. ... The main thing is are we pressuring the ball? And are we guarding the ball well enough?"

Bench production is still an issue...

Did the Raptors solve their bench issues? That is one of the burning questions that will define Toronto's season, and the answer so far is... nope.

In 2021-22, the Raptors had the lowest-scoring bench unit in the league at 25.7 points per game. That number is now down to 21.2 points per game, a mark only higher than the 76ers' total (19.0).

Outside of the usual starters — VanVleet, Trent, Barnes, Anunoby and Siakam — Chris Boucher is the only player averaging double-figures in the points department, and he has been available for three of Toronto's six games. Precious Achiuwa, perhaps the most important reserve, has been up and down.

The Raptors are always going to be a team that relies heavily on the starters. That's just how the roster is built. But they need the bench to contribute something if they want to be a legitimate contender.

... but we haven't seen the Raptors' full rotation yet

To be fair, Toronto has been missing a few players.

Otto Porter Jr. has not yet made his Raptors debut. Boucher was sidelined for the first three games of the season. Khem Birch just returned to action on Oct. 24.

And putting the health issues aside, the Raptors will also take time to develop Christian Koloko, the No. 33 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. The Arizona product may end up looking like a much different player at the season's end once he has some experience under his belt.

As Nurse and the Raptors learned last season, rotation plans can fly out of the window when injuries knock out important pieces. The hope for Toronto is that the puzzle will come together at some point, taking a heavy burden off the starters' shoulders.

Six games are in the books. What will the Raptors show us in the next 76?

Jordan Greer

Jordan Greer Photo

Jordan Greer has been with The Sporting News since 2015. He previously worked for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He is a graduate of Westminster College and Syracuse University.