Raptors' Siakam cracks NBA’s early list of MVP candidates
Pascal Siakam has made his mark early this NBA season.
The Toronto Raptors forward is averaging over 25 points to go along with nine rebounds and eight assists through five games this season, well above his career marks of 15.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 3.2 assists.
And the league is taking notice.
Siakam is ranked among the NBA’s best on the Race to the MVP Ladder.
Ja Morant for MVP? 👀@Kia MVP ladder: https://t.co/fGDECdfO4y pic.twitter.com/UFyIn9BP3R
— NBA TV (@NBATV) October 28, 2022
He slots fourth overall.
“It’s early, for sure. But Siakam probably deserved more love in this space last season after averaging 22.8 points, 8.5 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game en route to All-NBA Third Team honors,” Michael C. Wright wrote Friday. “This triple-double took place in a loss to the Nets, but you can clearly see an upward trajectory for Siakam. Plus, he matched a career-high with 13 assists five nights later in a 119-109 victory against the Philadelphia 76ers.”
Ja Morant of the Memphis Grizzlies tops the list, with Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks ranking second. Third is Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks. DeMar DeRozan, a first-round pick of the Raptors in 2009, also cracked the list at five.
“I hope I’m doing something special,” Siakam said. “I’m working, man. I’m trying to get better … that’s why I was a player … I always strive to do this every single year, working with every single thing, everything I can think of, [I] guess that’s my mentality going into it and yeah, like [I] always strive to be better.”
Better, to best.
Siakam has high expectations for the season.
“I’ve been All-NBA; I’ve been an All-Star. I want to be a top-5 player in the league,” he told reporters earlier this year on media day. “I want to be one of the best, and I’ll do everything I can to work towards that.”
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