Pascal Siakam spent the first seven and a half years of his career as a defining member of the Toronto Raptors. He was pivotal in their 2019 NBA championship and was the team’s veteran star in the final years before being dealt to the Indiana Pacers at last season’s trade deadline.
One of the reasons that Siakam made such a positive impact on the team is because of the veteran leaders that paved the way for him. It took Siakam three years to truly ascend in the NBA ranks, winning Most Improved Player in his third year, and there were a handful of veterans that helped Siakam reach that point.
The first is Patrick Patterson, who played four years with the Raptors including Siakam’s rookie season. Siakam attributes much of his growth to Patterson’s leadership, via Siakam on Twitter:
“For me, like Pat was my vet, I would say. Just taking us on, like, ‘Young fella come through, let’s go out today. Young fella come through, let’s go to dinner.’ For me, he showed us the way.”
Then, of course, there are Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, who led the Raptors for all of Siakam’s early years. Their impact is so far reaching in Raptors history, but Siakam spoke about what he specifically learned from being around them:
“They’ve been in the league, they know what it is. You always have those guys that kind of teach you the game. Little things that you wouldn’t know if somebody didn’t tell you, just little etiquette things, and like how to move, and seeing Kyle and DeMar come in early in the morning put the work in every single day no matter what they did, no matter what it is.”
The Raptors were an incredibly tight-knit group during those years, as the core of DeRozan, Lowry, Siakam and others embraced the franchise and the city with open arms. It’s no surprise that Siakam has become a true professional in the game of basketball, as he learned from phenomenal veterans.
DeMar DeRozan was hurt by Raptors trading him
The course of Raptors franchise history was forever changed in 2018 when the team decided to trade fan favorite and cornerstone DeRozan to the San Antonio Spurs as part of a blockbuster deal to acquire superstar Kawhi Leonard.
DeRozan has spent time with the Spurs, Chicago Bulls and now Sacramento Kings since then. He has had some incredible personal success, but has not spent much time on a winning team. And in his ideal world, he might still be with the Raptors.
DeRozan discussed his attitude towards the trade that completely altered the course of his career.
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