Pascal Siakam and the Greatest Evolution in Toronto Raptors History

Pascal Siakam may have moved on to play for the Indiana Pacers. However, what the Cameroonian-born forward left behind at the Toronto Raptors will always be remembered. From being selected 27th overall in the NBA Draft 2016, Siakam spent over 7 and a half years playing for the Canadian team, contributing significantly to the NBA championship in 2019 and being a cornerstone of the team for many consecutive years.

It can be said that Pascal Siakam’s time with the Toronto Raptors molded him into the outstanding player he is today. In this article, let’s take a look back at Pascal Siakam’s journey in Canada with The Sporting News.

Pascal Siakam’s Early Seasons with the Toronto Raptors “He’s an explosive player, with long arms and great agility,” remarked Jay Bilas, a college basketball analyst for ESPN, about Pascal Siakam.

When the Toronto Raptors selected Pascal Siakam with the 27th pick in the NBA Draft 2016, there were many doubts about whether the Cameroonian player could adapt to the harsh environment of the NBA. At ESPN, most experts believed Pascal Siakam should only be selected at lower positions, but the Toronto Raptors had their own calculations.

However, Pascal Siakam’s journey was not smooth. In the NBA Summer League, Pascal Siakam scored 12 points in the first 15 minutes of the game but soon suffered a long-term knee injury. It wasn’t until the Regular Season of the NBA 2016/17 that Pascal Siakam recovered to return to his teammates.

Despite starting in the first 34 games, Pascal Siakam only averaged less than 20 minutes per game. Additionally, Siakam was frequently sent down to the Raptors 905 team in the D-League (predecessor of the G-League) to gain experience. In that season, Siakam’s impressive performance helped the Raptors 905 win the D-League championship, averaging 18 points and 7.9 rebounds in 7 games.

With the experiences gained in his rookie season, Pascal Siakam showed the potential to become a great player in the NBA. In his second year, Pascal Siakam often came off the bench, but his performances earned the trust of both the coaching staff and the fans of the Toronto Raptors.

Subsequently, Pascal Siakam made continuous progress.

Pascal Siakam – the Most Improved Player of 2019 “I want to thank the Toronto Raptors for believing in me and giving me the opportunity, a skinny kid from Cameroon,” Pascal Siakam shared on the day he received the Most Improved Player award in 2019.

With the Raptors executing a somewhat “ruthless” trade: sending loyal player DeMar DeRozan to the San Antonio Spurs in exchange for Kawhi Leonard in the summer of 2018, it showed their ambition. The Raptors aimed to compete in the Eastern Conference with the presence of Kawhi Leonard, as well as the growth from young players like O.G. Anunoby, Fred VanVleet, and especially Pascal Siakam.

The Cameroonian player made a rapid progress. In the 2017/18 season, Pascal Siakam averaged 7.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 20.7 minutes per game, then he pushed his achievements to 16.9 points, 6.9 rebounds, 31.7 minutes per game, and a shooting efficiency of 55%. His outstanding performance helped Siakam win the Most Improved Player award in 2019.

Not only that, Pascal Siakam was also a crucial factor in the journey to the championship of the Toronto Raptors. In Game 1 of the 2019 NBA Finals, Pascal Siakam scored 32 points with an explosive playing style before helping the Raptors defeat the Golden State Warriors after 6 games. While Kawhi Leonard may have been the MVP of the Finals, the Toronto Raptors would have struggled to win the championship without Pascal Siakam.

In less than 3 years, Pascal Siakam turned the doubts aimed at him in the NBA Draft 2016 into a championship title.

Pascal Siakam’s All-Star Caliber “You wake up every day, step by step, and try to improve yourself, believe in your dreams, and bring them out into the world,” Pascal Siakam replied in an interview in the 2021/22 season.

After the championship in 2019, the Toronto Raptors couldn’t maintain their strength when Kawhi Leonard’s contract ended and he showed no intention of staying with the Canadian team. This forced the Toronto Raptors to make replacements in the leading role, and unable to find solutions in the transfer market, they placed their full trust in Siakam.

It was a somewhat risky decision, as not many teams could succeed in making a 27th pick the centerpiece of the team. However, Pascal Siakam proved that to be an inaccurate assessment.

In the 2019/20 season, Pascal Siakam averaged 22.9 points, 7.3 rebounds per game, and always fulfilled his duties before the NBA had to stop due to Covid-19. However, before the entire sports world came to a halt, Pascal Siakam’s impressive performance helped him earn a starting position in the 2020 All-Star Game, considered the best All-Star Game in the last 10 years.

Despite the 2019/20 season being interrupted by Covid-19, Pascal Siakam still achieved great success. He was voted into the All-NBA Second Team and finished 10th in the MVP voting.

Moving on to the next season, the Toronto Raptors continued to suffer losses with the departure of Kyle Lowry, the last veteran player in the team. Despite being a former champion, the Toronto Raptors still lacked a true leader on the court. Pascal Siakam was not that type of player, as he performed best as an attacking forward without the added pressure of being the team’s spiritual leader.

In fact, Pascal Siakam maintained his peak performance for many years. For 4 consecutive seasons, he never averaged fewer than 21.4 points per game. Siakam was not voted into the All-Star Team in 2022, but he bounced back strongly in 2023.

However, the Toronto Raptors could no longer maintain the position of a powerhouse team as they were in 2019. For the Raptors, parting ways with Siakam to the Indiana Pacers was not necessarily for professional reasons, but because they decided to rebuild the team, and Siakam understood that it was time for him to bid farewell to the team to make way for a tougher rebuilding in the near future.

In the Toronto Raptors, many players have developed into big names. However, no story is greater or more touching than what Pascal Siakam has done. Even though he has left, Siakam will surely always hold a firm place in the hearts of the fans.