Welcome to Raptors Republic’s new New Year tradition. As decided by you, the readers, it’s time to dive into the 10 most-most read editorials of the year at Raptors Republic. You can find the full top-10 list of released articles for 2024 (as each one is released) here.
I limited the list to editorials because news items and other pieces can often have more reads than columns. But these pieces — and I’m including post-game pieces — are the ones that take the most work, and in my eyes have the most value. So they’re the ones included in this list.
The year of 2024 has been one defined maybe most by change for the Toronto Raptors. Toronto traded OG Anunoby and Precious Achiuwa for Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett only two days before the year began. Then less than three weeks later, the Raptors traded Pascal Siakam away. A few weeks after that, the Raptors traded for Ochai Agbaji and Kelly Olynyk at the trade deadline. So 2024 began with major player movement, and much of Raptors Republic’s coverage to end the 2023-24 season reflected that. You’ll see a number of pieces covering those deals, or the impacts of them, on this list.
Then 2024-25 has largely been defined by an inability for Toronto to put all its new pieces on the floor at the same time. The presumptive starting lineup of Quickley – Gradey Dick – RJ Barrett – Scottie Barnes – Jakob Poeltl has played zero minutes together. Despite that, optimism has infused virtually every minute on the floor. Far more than would be expected for a team that is so far below .500. Stories of success and development abound — which also is reflected in our coverage, as well as on this list. It turns out, readers like the positive stories.
Without further ado, the No. 7 most-read story at Raptors Republic of 2024: “Pascal Siakam was the moon” by me.
Picture the rising moon. It’s not the same every night, not like the sun. Not the same shape over and over, though it will always return to its former forms before too long. It doesn’t shed enough light to reveal the world in all its flowering beauty, to grow the plants. But it still glows. It doesn’t have enough pull to organize an entire solar system around it. But it still draws the tide, the sea, the waves.
Pascal Siakam was the moon for the Toronto Raptors. He rose every other night, usually at 7:30 pm EST (7:39, more like), and drifted across the sky for two or three hours, bathing us all in the soft glow of his gorgeous game. But the moon is never the same shape two nights in a row. And Siakam could be depended upon for his growth, perhaps more than anything else. He changed from month to month, year to year, despite being a fixture the entire time.
He entered the league as an overmatched starter, taking two shots in his first game despite playing 20 minutes. He earned a reputation for running in transition, running like a blur — parting the seas like Moses because he couldn’t float over top. Eventually, he could cross the water any way he chose. But it happened slowly, so if you weren’t watching closely you might have missed it. Like the moon, he grew and grew and grew.
In his third year, he became a Hunter’s Moon, a Pink Moon. He started hitting corner 3s, finishing everything around the rim. He drove when defenses were too busy looking at Kyle Lowry and Kawhi Leonard. He defended forwards so that Leonard didn’t have to. He became a phenomenal rebounder. And the spin move. Oh, the spin move. He danced around the court, more lithe soccer player than mechanical post big, a smooth jazz omen from the future of fluid fire.
You can read the rest of the piece here. And tune in tomorrow for number 6!
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