Kawhi Leonard gone and Kyle Lowry aging, Pascal Siakam had everything to take control of the Raptors after the title of June 2019. The Cameroonian came out of an unforgettable 2019: the trophy for best progression and NBA champion. It was then extended for $ 130 million over four years.
In 2020, he confirms and even becomes All-Star. He will become the new face of Toronto, it seems obvious. But his poor performance in the “bubble” then the 2020/2021 season, also difficult, as the episode with Nick Nurse proved, slowed down his progress.
This complicated period was combined with a guilty silence from his leadership, even though his relationship with Masai Ujiri is good. Pascal Siakam expected strong words from the franchise.
“I will always have enormous respect for Masai, whom I have known for a long time, compared to what he has done for Africa. Honestly, I found that there had been a lack of communication ”, he believes for the New York Times. “I had the impression that the question arose: ‘We offered you a maximum contract but are you the franchise player?’ I had a hard time with that. Kyle Lowry, who for me is the greatest Raptor in history, said he was the franchise player. I had the contract, but I never really felt like the leader. ”
Finally the assumed leader of the Raptors?
If he recognizes that, on the subject of leadership, ” these discussions are now coming “, probably also because Kyle Lowry left, Pascal Siakam has also seen his name in transfer rumors. Touched by the franchise’s apparent doubts, weighed down by its disappointing performance and often criticized, he found himself in the middle of a storm when a few months earlier he was on top of the world.
“There too, I struggled. Mainly because of the negativity surrounding my name. It was strange for me because I am such a positive person. People know my story, know where I’m from, what I’ve managed to accomplish in my career. It’s positive, isn’t it? They are always good things, and you can hardly hate me. And when I got to Toronto, it was perfect. I am international and love the diversity of Toronto. I understand the feeling of being underestimated, like this city which does not always have the respect of the American media. So I felt bad to see this negativity, this slander around me. “
Still in rehabilitation after his left shoulder operation, Pascal Siakam still sees himself for a long time with the Raptors and the rumors do not worry him for the moment.
“They don’t bother me because I haven’t heard anything from the franchise. I never saw any news that said the Raptors wanted to give Siakam over this or that. It was always: the Warriors and Kings love Pascal. “
| Pascal Siakam | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Tirs | 3pts | LF | Off | Def | Until | Pd | Fte | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2016-17 | TOR | 55 | 16 | 50.2 | 14.3 | 68.8 | 1.2 | 2.2 | 3.4 | 0.3 | 2.0 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 4.2 |
| 2017-18 | TOR | 81 | 21 | 50.8 | 22.0 | 62.1 | 1.0 | 3.5 | 4.5 | 2.0 | 2.1 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 7.3 |
| 2018-19 | TOR | 80 | 32 | 54.9 | 36.9 | 78.5 | 1.6 | 5.3 | 6.9 | 3.1 | 3.0 | 0.9 | 1.9 | 0.7 | 16.9 |
| 2019-20 | TOR | 60 | 35 | 45.3 | 35.9 | 79.2 | 1.1 | 6.3 | 7.3 | 3.5 | 2.8 | 1.0 | 2.5 | 0.9 | 22.9 |
| 2020-21 | TOR | 56 | 36 | 45.5 | 29.7 | 82.7 | 1.7 | 5.5 | 7.2 | 4.5 | 3.1 | 1.1 | 2.3 | 0.7 | 21.4 |
| Total | 332 | 28 | 48.8 | 32.5 | 78.2 | 1.3 | 4.6 | 5.9 | 2.7 | 2.6 | 0.9 | 1.6 | 0.7 | 14.3 | |
