Pascal Siakam was enjoying a tremendous start to the 2022-23 NBA regular season, as the Raptors forward was averaging 24.8 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 7,7 assists per game through nine games of the season, all of which would be career-highs.
His strong play was a big reason the Raptors entered Friday night’s loss to the Mavs with a 5-3 record, but after 31 minutes of play, Siakam was forced to leave the game in the fourth quarter after having his right leg slip out from under him as he made a move at the top of the key.
Pascal Siakam left for the locker room after slipping on the court.
pic.twitter.com/ytRSE5CpDp
— Tim and Friends (@timandfriends) November 5, 2022
Siakam would not return in the 1-point loss to Dallas with what was initially diagnosed as a groin strain, and further testing this weekend revealed a right adductor strain that will cost him at least the next two weeks of the season.
Toronto will re-evaluate Pascal Siakam in two weeks after being diagnosed with a right adductor strain.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) November 6, 2022
If he were to return in two weeks, Siakam would miss the next eight games for the Raptors, with a home-road back-to-back against the Bulls starting tonight, followed by a stretch against the Rockets, Thunder, Pacers, Pistons, Heat, and Hawks before the two-week timetable offered for re-evaluation would be reached.
It’s a considerable blow for the Raptors as Siakam has been their offensive engine, leading the team in points, rebounds, and assists to start the year — on top of providing his typical strong, versatile defensive presence. Without him, Nick Nurse will have to dip deeper into his bench than he usually does, with the likes of Otto Porter Jr. and Thaddeus Young seeming like the most likely to get a bump in minutes. The creative burden offensively will also shift even more to Fred VanVleet, with the Raptors also needing more aggressive play on that end from the likes of Scottie Barnes and OG Anunoby to fill the void left by Siakam.