Pascal Siakam’s first stint in a (pseudo) Raptors uniform was as impressive as it was short-lived.
Siakam, a 6-foot-nine forward and one of Toronto’s two first-round draft picks this year, made his presence known on both ends of the floor in his first game at the NBA’s Las Vegas Summer League in July. In front of an energized crowd that included the Raptors’ original Junkyard Dog, Jerome Williams,he posted 12 loud points (and seemingly as many hustle plays) in 15 minutes of first-half action.
He didn’t play in the second half due to a left knee sprain that ultimately keeping him off the court for the rest of the Summer League. It may have been a sizeable step below the big leagues, but the bouncy big man left a nice impression in his limited Vegas run nonetheless.
Which is a good sign for the Raptors, who surprised some—like the folks at DraftExpress and NBADraft.net who projected Siakam as a second rounder in their respective mock drafts—when they chose him with their 27th pick. The Raptors front court was the biggest area of need heading into the off-season, especially given the expected departure of Bismack Biyombo, so it wasn’t a huge surprise that Masai Ujiri went big at the draft, selecting top-ranked centre Jakob Poeltl at 9th overall and then following it up with Siakam. Despite setting their sights on another deep playoff run, it seemed positional depth would mean that both rookies could see playing time in their first season in Toronto.
Yet with training camp set to begin later this month in Burnaby, BC., the depth chart remains muddied. After signing free agent Jared Sullinger, the Raptors now have six frontcourt players under guaranteed contracts (Sullinger, Siakam, Poeltl, Patrick Patterson, Lucas Nogueira, and Jonas Valanciunas). With Sullinger, Patterson, and Valanciunas likely to see steady minutes, the other three could be left fighting for the scraps. It should help make for a particularly competitive training, one that’ll provide Siakam with an opportunity to prove his short-lived Summer League showing was merely business as usual for the 22 year-old.
“I want to go in, show off how I work, and show the things I can do,” Siakam said Tuesday during an appearance in-studio on Prime Time Sports.
When asked about whether or not he expects to see minutes on an NBA court this season, the rookie said he wasn’t thinking about that at the moment, instead focusing on giving the Raptors coaching staff a glimpse at what he brings to the table.
“I’m going [into training camp] knowing my abilities and giving everything I can to get playing time,” he said. “I can play. I think I’m ready to play in the NBA.”
After red-shirting his freshman year, the Cameron native (he has three brothers who all played NCAA basketball before him) played two seasons at New Mexico State before being selected 27th overall in June’s draft.
In his final year of college, he averaged 20.2 points, 11.6 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks per game, earning conference Player of the Year honours and an honourable mention for AP’s All-American team.
“With the way we played in college,” he said, “I was one of the most dominant players in my conference. All I needed was to get the ball on the block and I could do whatever.”
That most likely won’t be how he’s utilizied in Toronto, at least not for now. Instead, he’ll have a chance to fill a role as an ‘energy guy’ off the bench, capable of spot minutes at the four and as a slightly undersized five. A stint in the D-League with the Raptors 905, at least to start the season, could be just as likely. But Siakam isn’t locking himself into anything at the moment.
“I try hard not to get caught up in positions and say, ‘I’m this or I’m that’,” he said. “I’m versatile…I can guard from three to five, and sometimes even two. It’s whatever coach wants. If you can guard [multliple] positions, you can play.”
Toronto Raptors training camp for the 2016-17 season begins September 27th.