Pascal Siakam made his return to Toronto on Feb. 14 as a member of the Indiana Pacers.
It was a somber ending to Siakam’s Toronto Raptors career as the team struggled to remain competitive.
However, he poured his heart and soul into the Raptors organization. Plus, Siakam was a key contributor to the franchises one and only championship in 2019.
Indiana ultimately won 127-125 with Siakam having 23 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists. Scottie Barnes responded with 29 points, 12 rebounds and 8 assists, making for an entertaining matchup.
After the game, Siakam said that he spoke to Barnes about being the face of the franchise moving forward, via Josh Lewenberg of TSN:
“As a young man, it’s going to be a lot of ups and downs. He’s just gotta be able to take those waves and as he learns from it he’s going to grow. As long as his head is in the right place, he’s going to be fine.”
Still only 22-years-old, Barnes will eventually ease into being the No. 1 option and being the face of the Raptors franchise. Siakam stresses Barnes to keep doing the right things and eventually the tide will turn:
“Just gotta be ready. Just know that it’s coming so brace yourself, keep the main thing the main thing and just keep moving forward. If you do the right things, things will turn around. I think he’s in a good place. He’s going to be all right.”
A rebuild takes time, there will be rough patches, but Barnes is the right guy to lead the charge. Siakam gave some solid advice to him, which is necessary as the Raptors transition to a new era.
This is certainly not going to be the last time these two speak.
Pascal Siakam talks about ovation in Toronto and matching up with Scottie Barnes
It was an emotional night for Siakam and Raptors fans, but the love will never fade between the two sides.
The former Raptor talked about the standing ovation he received from fans and matching up against Barnes for the first time.
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