Those friend’s benefits
Departure of pal Poeltl is opportunity for big man Siakam
Pascal Siakam is about as happy-golucky as they come, a young Toronto Raptors forward who’s always smiling, always happy and a guy who hadn’t felt the sting of the harsh realities of professional sports. Until last week. Siakam, part of one of the more unique bromances in franchise history along with fellow third-year big man Jakob Poeltl, got a lesson in just how hard things can get when his pal was unceremoniously sent packing, collateral damage in a franchise-altering trade centred around DeMar DeRozan going to San Antonio and Kawhi Leonard coming to Toronto.
It was a sea change for the Raptors roster and a stark reminder to the 24year-old Siakam that the business of winning always wins out.
“You know the NBA is a business and things happen but it’s a little sad when you get close to people,” Siakam said Tuesday after an appearance at the Raptors’ annual summer basketball academy at Humber College.
“You always hear that the NBA is a business but you don’t really know until something really happens. I’m learning every day, I’m learning.”
The lessons he’s learned have left Siakam a bit wistful for Poeltl’s departure and DeRozan’s ouster — “what (DeMar has) done for the city, for Toronto, for Canada, it’s a little sad to see him go,” he said — but there could very well be a side benefit for Siakam.
With Poeltl gone and no big man coming back, there is a void in the team’s frontcourt rotation that could earn the six-foot-nine Siakam more playing time and more responsibility.
He emerged as a key component to the team’s vaunted Bench Mob last season, an energetic and athletic big man with varied skills. With continued development, the sky can be the limit for the Cameroon native.
“Just be a better playmaker, ballhandler,” Siakam said of his summer chores. “Just the way the league is going, it doesn’t matter what position you play, you have to be able to be skilled and do some things on the court. “That’s what I really work on.” One thing Siakam has to work on is his three-point shooting, to at least become a legitimate threat as a floor-stretching big man. His rookie season was a write-off from long range— he attempted just seven threepointers in 55 games — and he struggled through 22 per cent efficiency from distance a year ago (29-for-132). That is not going to earn him accolades, or the right to shoot when he gets the chance. “I went through a rough stretch last year where I missed a lot of shots and it got a little mental,” he said. “For me, it’s just confidence. I don’t think my shot is broken, I just have to be confident, be out there and just play basketball, have fun and it’ll be fine.
“I went like one-for-30something (during one stretch last season); for the most part, I have confidence in my shot, it’s looking a lot better and I just have to work.”