Pascal Siakam was a late starter in basketball, as the Cameroonian did not play until his early teens. He was a natural and moved to the U.S. at age sixteen to develop his skills, which would land him at New Mexico State. Siakam won the WAC Player of the Year, but he was not expected to do that much as a pro. The Raptors took him late (27th) in the 2016 Draft, and the project that was Pascal Siakam began.
Siakam played a good amount of his rookie season in the G-League, winning a title and Finals MVP there, after which the Power Forward stayed with the Raptors for good. A backup for most of 2017-18, Siakam became a starter in 2018-19, in a season where it felt like he improved with every game played. Siakam was electric in the playoffs, playing a large part in their first NBA Championship. For his regular season efforts, Siakam won the NBA Most Improved Player of the Year Award.
Siakam was no longer going to sneak up on anyone, but he got even better in 2019-20, went to his first All-Star Game, and collected a Second Team All-NBA nod, and averaging 22.9 Points per Game. Emerging as the Raptors top player, he averaged over 20 Points per Game for the rest of his Raptors career, adding a Third-Team All-NBA in 2021-22, and a second All-Star the year after. He also was a certified workhorse for the club, leading the NBA in Minutes per Game in both 2021-22 and 2022-23.
Emtering 2023-24, the Raptors were in clear rebuilding mode, and Siakam was traded to the surging Indiana Pacers. When it was all said and done, Siakam left Jurrasic Park as one of the most important players in franchise history.
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