Energizer Siakam plugs need for Raps
Mike Ganter in Salt Lake City
Pascal Siakam is the perfect antidote to a dull basketball game. Throw him in the mix and whatever boring snooze-fest that you might have been watching before immediately speeds up a notch or two.
Siakam has been that way since he arrived on the scene in Toronto, a bundle of energy ready and willing to liven up even the most yawn-inducing of games.
It’s a skill- set he carries proudly and now with a season year under his belt — a season in which he started a surprising 39 games — Siakam has become much more than just an energy guy in the Raptors’ scheme of things.
It’s a natural l earning curve, one that was perhaps sped up by being tossed into the fire like he was last year when Jared Sullinger, the guy the Raptors brought in to man the power forward position, underwent surgery on an old foot injury that left the Raptors in a bit of a bind.
Siakam was raw and extremely athletic, but to earn the start for 34 consecutive games, it was as well as the rookie could have expected.
There were mistakes, lots of them actually, but Siakam would sit down after each game with assistant coach Jim Saan and pore over the mistakes and the good things he did each night in order to limit the negatives the next game.
All that work is starting to show this season.
“To me, it’s just being more aware of what it going on,” Siakam says as he laces up his shoes prior to the morning shootaround leading up to their Friday night game against the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City. “It’s cool to have all the energy but if you don’t know what is going on, it can be difficult. For me, it’s just as matter of being more aware of what’s going on instead of just being instinctive and trying to play.’’
Siakam says he’s not yet at the point where he’s comfortable saying he knows the NBA game inside and out, but he appears to be on his way to that level.
“I can anticipate plays better, but I don’t know the NBA game per se,” he says. “I feel more comfortable with it, I will say that.”
Siakam is the perfect example of a basketball player being aware of what he doesn’t know.
“I made a lot of mistakes last year which is normal, but I’m trying to make less mistakes by learning the game, understanding the coverages and where to be on the floor, how to rotate to ( defence) guys,’’ he said. “Also just knowing (opponents) better by watching more basketball and stuff. Things like that.”
When the season began, Siakam was on the outside looking in at coach Dwane Casey’s 10-man rotation that did not include him. He admitted that was tough, particularly given what he had experienced in his rookie year with all that playing time, but he stuck with it.
His opportunity came on this trip with first Jonas Valanciunas out for four games, then Lucas Nogueira going down for two and then another night when the Raptors had to make do without starting power forward Serge Ibaka.
Siakam got his chance and took advantage of it. Now, even with those players back, it appears Casey is determined to find him minutes.
“Intelligence and experience,” Casey says of what Siakam has added from a year ago. “He’s playing like a 10-year vet right now.”