"I always watched the players that can handle the ball - like Kevin Durant or Tracy McGrady" - Pascal Siakam talks about how he learned and improved at playing the game of basketball
On "The Old Man" and "The Three Show," hosted by former NBA player JJ Redick and co-host Tommy Alter, Pascal Siakam explains how he learned the game of basketball by watching Kevin Durant and Tracy McGrady.
Pascal Siakam always wanted to be different. Here he is on studying KD and T-Mac while learning how to play basketball. https://t.co/sUhMzHs4aW
The Cameroonian shared his journey to Texas and how he didn't quite know how to play until he came over to the US.
"Early on I didn't watch that much basketball, so in my head, I'm just like... Coming in I always see African kids, you get to a certain level and like you big, you're pretty tall and it's like you on the post, you run, you dunk. And early on, I have always thought, I wish I can do more...I wanted to be different, I never wanted to do the same thing," Siakam said.
Having not really watched the game of basketball, Pascal Siakam was asked who he followed or watched in order to grow his game. And it came as no shocker that he modeled his game after Brooklyn Nets talisman Kevin Durant and the Hall of Famer, Tracy McGrady. He added:
"I always watch players that can handle the ball, like Kevin Durant or Tracy McGrady... Anything I could find really, I think at that point, I just wanted to find anybody that's that tall and can handle the ball.. It was a dream, obviously, cos I'm nowhere near those players. But in my head, it was always like yo.. I wanna be different."
Redick described Siakam's game as being somewhat unconventional, wielding the ability to do a lot on the court, as it is often difficult to classify him as a player. Siakam agreed and confirmed that he indeed thinks his game is different.
"My mentality was always to wanna be different and do different things."
How has Pascal Siakam fared in the NBA?
Pascal Siakam went to New Mexico State University after finishing at God's Academy High School, Texas. He represented the New Mexico State Aggies and was awarded the Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year in 2016. His performance for the Aggies led to him being drafted into the NBA by the Toronto Raptors as the 27th overall pick in the 2016 draft.
His debut season with the Raptors saw him finish with 4.2 points, 3.4 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game in 55 appearances, 38 of which were starts. Pascal Siakam had a better season in his sophomore year with the Raptors, finishing with 7.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists.
In the 2018-19 season, he was named the Most Improved Player of the Year, as he posted 16.9 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game. He recorded a career-high in field goals percentage (54.9) and three-pointers accuracy (36.9%), netting 6.5 of 11.8 and 1.0 of 2.7 attempts respectively. That year, Pascal Siakam and the Raptors secured their first and only NBA championship title, after defeating the Golden State Warriors by a 4-2 record.
The 2018-19 NBA champions seemed motivated to secure a second peat the following season, but they crashed out of the Eastern Conference Semifinals at the hands of the Boston Celtics. Despite not making it to the NBA Finals, Pascal Siakam was selected for his first and only All-Star appearance, having recorded a career-high 22.9 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists in the regular season.
Although Pascal Siakam had to sit out the early part of the 2021-22 NBA season due to injury, he currently averages 18.1 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists in 12 appearances. Leading the team in 2-points, free throws and blocks, placing second in assists and third in points, field goals and rebounds.