In the wake of Kawhi Leonard‘s departure, some in the basketball world figured the Toronto Raptors would fall from the top of the Eastern Conference. They thought the defending champs would be fighting on the fringe of the playoffs, and that this team was a seven-seed in the waiting. However, the evolution of Pascal Siakam has changed those expectations, at least to this point in the season. Sure, repeating will take some kind of effort from Canada’s team, but winning another Larry O.B. is not, as they say, impossible.
The emergence of Siakam is the main reason Toronto’s place among the Eastern Conference’s elite is safe.