10 things from Raptors-76ers

Welcome to the 10 things recap by theScore features writer William Lou, which serves to highlight emerging trends from a Raptors perspective.

1. Spurts: The Raptors have established in their first eight games that they can play elite two-way basketball, but they haven't been able to sustain those stretches. Toronto easily outclassed Philadelphia through three quarters, but they took their foot off the gas pedal and the Sixers nearly capitalized.

2. Excellence: It's beginning to dawn on Raptors fans that they can just count on Kawhi Leonard to be consistently excellent in every game. Leonard sustained an elbow to the eye and a hard mid-air foul from Joel Embiid to deliver another efficient game in which he scored 31 points on 10-of-19 shooting from the field, while also coming through in the clutch.

3. Bully: Leonard made life hell for Ben Simmons, who committed seven turnovers in the first half and finished with 11. Leonard hounded him all night, including on a key possession with two minutes left when Leonard ripped the ball away from Simmons to stymie a comeback by the Sixers.

4. Promise: Pascal Siakam continues to blossom in his third season. He set a career-high in scoring with 22 on Monday and followed up with a career-best 15 rebounds on Tuesday. He continues to overwhelm opposing power forwards with his twisting drives, and he's a 3-point shot and some discretion away from being an All-Star in a few years.

5. Roadrunner: The Raptors are at their best when they can force deflections and unleash Siakam on the fast break. Not only is he a reliable finisher, but he can also push the ball up the floor. Siakam is as fast with the ball in his hands going end-to-end as any forward in the league.

6. Solid: Serge Ibaka continues to produce on a nightly basis, which simply wasn't the case last year. Ibaka's automatic from the mid-range, and he's even showing a decent touch on his push-shot from inside the paint. He's even become a credible threat on the offensive glass, although his finishing leaves something to be desired.

7. Quarterback: It's no wonder why Kyle Lowry is racking up the assists when the starting lineup is suddenly full of scoring threats. Lowry finished with double-digit assists for the sixth-straight night and chipped in with 20 points while also adding to his league lead in charges drawn.

8. Encouraging: Delon Wright finally made some plays for the Raptors after missing most of the first few weeks with an adductor strain. He thoroughly bullied Markelle Fultz on both ends and drilled a stepback three. Wright can't run the bench unit by himself, but he's a useful piece if he can ever get back on the floor with Fred VanVleet.

9. Weakness: The Raptors' starting five has been brilliant all season long with Leonard in the lineup, but they do have one fundamental flaw in their inability to rebound. Philadelphia is one of the most physically imposing teams in the league, and they nearly erased a 21-point deficit by collecting 17 offensive rebounds.

10. Decisions: One solution for Nick Nurse would be to play Jonas Valanciunas over Ibaka, but that introduces another issue of Valanciunas being unable to guard the perimeter. This will become an issue in the playoffs, as it was in previous years.