'I want to be a top-five player in the league': Raptors' Pascal Siakam
Pascal Siakam discusses the addition of Rico Hines to the Raptors' coaching staff, Toronto's big development summer and his desire to become a top-5 player in the NBA. Check out all of the Raptors media day availabilities on our YouTube channel.
Video Transcript
SAMSON FOLK: Hey, Pascal. Samson Folk of Raptors Republic here. During the season, you actually led the NBA in isolations, and during the playoffs, you doubled your pick and roll frequency. I'm curious how you see that affecting your role going into this year and how that might, I guess, at different types of possessions, might allow you to ascend to MVP-level status, All-NBA once again, that kind of stuff.
PASCAL SIAKAM: Yeah, I think, again, it makes it more interesting, obviously, just having an opportunity to have the basketball in your hands more and kind of command the game a little bit, control the game in a certain way. Something that I really didn't do in the past and I think that now, as I've evolved as a basketball player and on this team-- I'm one of the leaders-- is just having that opportunity to get to where I want to get to on the floor, get the shots that I want to get, and also get my teammates involved. I think just having that opportunity with the basketball, it just makes my game kind of evolve to another level.
- Pascal, Adam from Daily Hive over here. I wanted to ask, Nick had a lot of complimentary things to say about you. He said you've been working hard this summer. He had a lot of good things to say about your work ethic. What does it mean to you to be able to come into training camp healthy and kind of have that full season ahead of you?
PASCAL SIAKAM: Oh, it means everything. I think you appreciate it more once you go through a season where you don't have that, right? I think the past years, it was just normal coming into pre-season every day and just being there. And now, it's like it's just special. I enjoy the summer, being able to have all the time that-- I haven't had the opportunity to have this time in a while, also, so just having that time and also just coming into the season like last year like I was trying to-- when pre-season was going and training camp, I was watching it, it's just such a different vibe and a different feeling.
And now I'm just appreciative of the fact that I'll be there and just kind of like soak up everything. And being there from day one, I think, is going to make a difference.
- Hey, Pascal, how you doing? [INAUDIBLE] from The Score. Rico Hines runs have been a big part of not only your career, but a few of your teammates'. How has adding coach to the bench help you guys as a group?
PASCAL SIAKAM: Yeah, I think it's everything. I think, obviously, it's about time. I feel like he's just embodied what we are as an organization for a while. He's done it like just being in LA. Obviously, I know him personally. He's like family to me. But also, I think that his talent, he has that kind of ability to-- just his presence, being there. For young guys, obviously, like just having that energy every single day.
He knows the game. He's been around the game for a long time. And for players to be able to develop, he has just that kind of vibe that you need in a coach. You just feel it. And from the first day I met him, we had that connection, and I'm sure that he's going to bring that to the team, and just being able to help all our young guys and just having that person that's going to give you the energy and vibe that's needed.
JOSH LEWENBERG: Hey, Pascal, Josh Lewenberg, TSN. Following up on Rico, you're there every summer in those runs, and you brought some guys there before, but how did it feel to have virtually the whole team there with you working out? And then also, you and the bench mob years ago, one of the things that you guys always talked about was having that time to play together during the summer. So do you see this sort of translating the same way having all this time together in the offseason?
PASCAL SIAKAM: Yeah, for sure. I think that's one of the reasons why we do that as a team. We try to go get together. I think Masai is really big on that, and we want to just continue to kind of form an identity. And I think you do that by playing every single day and knowing each other's tendencies and understanding the game. And you can only do that by having time on the floor and playing basketball.
And I think that's why like it's so crucial and important. And I think it's only going to help us, to be honest, just because we get familiar with each other. And then once-- obviously we have training camp and all that to do that, also, but having that time together during the offseason is kind of like a big plus.
- Hey, Pascal.
PASCAL SIAKAM: Oh.
- One more on Rico before I go to the next one. But with Rico, him being on staff, was that advantageous as a Raptor? It's always been for you, but now that he's on staff with the Raptors, was that advantageous this summer because he knows what works for you guys, and could you run out your 5 together and stay together? And--
PASCAL SIAKAM: I think we've always done that, even when he wasn't with us. Every time we went to LA, we had our whole team. So it's kind of like how we've always done it. But I do think that it's advantageous to have him on our team because I think that he's one of the best just in terms of development.
And just, like-- I think pure basketball players, we like those types of people-- people that live in the gym, that want to be in the gym every single day. I love the numbers and I love all the stuff, but like pure basketball-heads is just something that's-- I won't say it's missing, but we all seek that as players, and he's like the definition of that-- somebody that's going to be there at 1:00 in the morning, or he's going to be there like at 9:00 AM. He's there no matter what it is and when you need him. He just likes to be in the gym, and I think that's needed.
And our team, the players that we have-- young players-- I think we all need to be in the gym, and he lives in the gym. So that's what's needed.
- Every summer, you come back with something else. How tough was it this summer, like, being healthy and then not overdoing it, you know what I mean?
PASCAL SIAKAM: Was it tough? No, no, it wasn't tough. It was amazing to be healthy. But now, I think, like you said, I love to be in the gym, bro. I like to get better. I enjoy the process of getting better knowing that before, I couldn't do something, and now I can do it. That process of the game is just more important to me than even the actual game. I just enjoy that. And having that opportunity to do that, being healthy, it was just amazing. I just get lost in it.
But also, I understand, being year 7 for me, I've been around the game, and I know that it's important to also have a pace and understand that you have to train at the right moment and all those things. So I understand it, taking care of my body and all that. But just pure basketball-wise, I just enjoy just being in the gym every single day.
- Hey, Pascal, it's Doug right in front of you.
PASCAL SIAKAM: [INAUDIBLE]. All right, what's up, what's up, what's up?
- I know you've spent a lot of time in the gym and got all your basketball in, but you also spent time with your foundation here around the draft and the TMU stuff. I saw on social media you were in Europe as well. How important is it to get away from the game as much as get a lot of work in? Your own mind, right?
PASCAL SIAKAM: Yeah, no, of course. I think-- which is for me, one thing that I would say I got from all the time that I've been in the league and even the tough times and everything is just understanding how important balance is. It's an attitude that I feel like I had last year-- just no matter what is happening, just being kind of like-- having the same mindset every single day and not changing.
I think a way to do that is by being able to just balance everything-- the work and also having fun and at the same time, doing things that I'm passionate about outside of basketball because at the end of the day, I know basketball is everything for me, but I also need that balance. And that's why this summer, man, it was just so important just to be in different places, different environments, and just enjoying life in general. It was just great. And also having the opportunity to do good things in the process, what's better than that?
AARON ROSE: Hey, Pascal, Aaron Rose. Good to see you.
PASCAL SIAKAM: Thank you, thank you.
AARON ROSE: Nick told us that once the season ended, you hopped on a call with him and said, like, I'm ready to take another jump forward, another step forward. Why was it important to have that conversation, and what do you envision that leap looking like this season?
PASCAL SIAKAM: I think, again, this is a conversation that we have at the end of the season. You've got to assess your season and see how you can get better, things that you need to do. I just felt like, yeah, it's time to take another step. It's always been that. I've always believed in that, and I've tried every single year to take another step. But I think for me, after the year that I had, I just felt like there are so many things that I could get better on.
And for me to not get the next step-- I've been an All-NBA, I've been an all-star. I want to be a top-five player in the league. I want to be one of the best. And I will do everything that I can to work towards that. And I just wanted to make sure that we're on the same page. And obviously, it's not about talking about it. It's about the actions that you do, the things that you do, and how you carry yourself. And I think that, yeah, I'm ready for it, yeah. It's time.
- [INAUDIBLE].
PASCAL SIAKAM: Finito.
MICHAEL GRANGE: Hey, Pascal. How are you?
PASCAL SIAKAM: How are you doing?
MICHAEL GRANGE: Michael Grange from SportsNet. When you were younger in your career, you might have had a long list of things you had to develop, skills you had to maybe learn. And now when you're trying to improve from, like, All-NBA to, like you say, maybe top five in the league, is it more about developing still more skills, or is it kind of using your time to maybe learn the game in a different way or study film in a different way? What's that process been like this summer?
PASCAL SIAKAM: Yeah, I think it's all of those things. There's always things in my game that I can improve on, and I believe that. And there's different things that I work on-- shot creation, learning from last year, things that I can do better. And for me, I just feel a little bit more comfortable. And as I go, I think that's something that I've felt throughout my career-- just every single year, feeling a little bit more comfortable.
Understanding the game-- understanding the game and just, again, just different parts of the game that you don't really watch all the time. It's like, now you're getting double-teamed, you're getting attention from-- so just seeing the game in a different way, like now I can understand when the double-team is coming or what I need to do, where I need to be. I have spots that I want to get to. Those are different things. I really had to think about before that now when you have the attention of the defense, you get to think about those things.
And just mentally, the mental part of the game, having that just wanting to kill mentality, I want to-- yeah, just having that feeling and just knowing that I want to win and I'm going to do everything I need to do to win, and that's just another part of the game mentally that you try to learn. And then also, I know we were talking to my man Doug out here, just keeping the balance, also. All those things I never really thought of as a young player that now play a part into who I am as a player.
- Hey, Pascal, welcome back. Around the league, there are obviously teams that are going all in and trading all their picks to get stars, there are teams that are doing the reverse, obviously. Masai, he's traded a pick or two, but he's more content to let you guys grow together and figure it out together. Why do you think you guys can take that sort of middle road and make it work to get to that level where the all-in teams think they already are?
PASCAL SIAKAM: Yeah, I think we have the pieces. We have the-- I started fine last year, I don't know what it is. I think I saw somewhere I was, like, 15 plus or something like that. It's like we have the talent, you know what I mean? And I think we added some good pieces you know like Otto, Juancho, we have different things. We wanted to add shooting, we're adding that. Drafting Christian-- obviously, has a lot to learn, but we just continue to evolve as a team.
And I think everyone individually got better. Summertime, I've seen from OG to Scottie to Dalano, like just everybody is working on their game and wanting to get better. And I think that just getting an identity as a team also-- and last year, people didn't really expect much from us, but I think we really fought hard. We had a lot of ups and downs, but we got better as a team. And we got to experience the playoffs, something that a lot of our young players didn't have before. So now they have that experience, and I think it's only going to help us get better.
So I think that, yeah, we have a bright future as a team. And we've just got to continue to focus, focus on ourselves, and just go out there and put the work in and be that team that wants to go out there every single night and get a win. And I think that we can do that.
- We'll go [INAUDIBLE].
VIVEK JACOB: Hey, Pascal. Vivek Jacob, Raptors.com. You grew into that mentorship role last season. I was wondering how much does it mean to you to actually get the opportunity to mentor someone from Douala in Christian Koloko?
PASCAL SIAKAM: No, it's crazy. It's weird just because, again, just the person I am, obviously. But I think it's just a proud kind of moment being from Cameroon, being from Douala, having somebody that is from the same hometown as you like. And I can just only think of all the kids back home just like thinking about, man, like we have two people. What are the odds that we both come from the same place and we're both from Africa? It's just so surreal. And we understand what that means for us.
And for me personally, I just think it's kind of like my job to bring him along and make sure that I'm there whenever he needs it. And hey, I'm definitely not one of those vets that's just all over the players just talking all the time. I want to give him his space, but also, I just want to make sure that he understands that he has someone that has experienced what he's going through right now on every level. I understand everything that he's going through, so he can always-- I'm here. Whenever he needs it, he can talk to me if there's anything that he needs. And also, obviously, if I see something, I can tell him.
And I think just watching him this summer, he's been a sponge. He's listening. He has that-- when someone listens and you know it, like, you can look in their eyes and you know they're listening, and he has that. So I think that's just only going to help him.
LINDSAY DUNN: Hey, Pascal, Lindsay Dunn, CityNews in the front.
PASCAL SIAKAM: What's up, Lindsay? I feel like I've seen you every day.
LINDSAY DUNN: I know. Nice to see you again. I'm [INAUDIBLE]. It really seemed like it was the summer of Spicy P. You were enjoying life, you were flying around, you were doing all that great stuff with your foundation. But like you mentioned about balance and everything that happened last offseason, what was it like for you mentally? How is it so different from last year? Obviously, you were recovering from your first major surgery, but mentally, how different was it for you?
PASCAL SIAKAM: Yeah, I think when you go through tough times, you get stronger as a person. You get better. I do believe that. I did question, like, why is it happening to me? But I think as I was going, I kind of understood, like, yeah, you're built for it. That's the reason why it's happening to you. And I've just gotten better as I'm going and learning from the past experiences and just lessons that, otherwise, I probably would have never learned.
And it can only make me a better person, a better player, and that's just the way I carry myself now is just having that, knowing that I've been through all those things. Not saying that there's not much that can faze me, but I've seen a lot of things. I've seen a lot of things, from losing people to just feeling like you're not the best at whatever you want to be or having an injury. There's just so many different things that I've been through as a person that I think is only going to make me stronger, and it's making me into the person I am today.
- Hey, Pascal, right here up front. Here-- right here. I'm just curious what you expect from OG this year, and also, as someone who's kind of been through the NBA rumor machine before, when he starts coming up in that sort of stuff, have you reached out to him and talked to him about stuff at all?
PASCAL SIAKAM: Oh, the rumor machine? What's that?
- Yeah, just people talking about-- there were reports about if he's happy, all that stuff. Have you reached out and talked to him when stuff like that comes up?
PASCAL SIAKAM: OG's good, man. I don't think I need to talk to OG. OG's good. He understands it, man. He's been in the league for a little bit, too. He knows what it's about. And we talked a couple of times in the summer, but I think he gets it. And he has a really good team, I think, around him, also. So yeah, he'll be all right. I don't think he needs me to kind of tell him what the business of the NBA is. He knows that.
- Pascal.
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PASCAL SIAKAM: Yep.
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PASCAL SIAKAM: [SPEAKING FRENCH]
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PASCAL SIAKAM: [SPEAKING FRENCH]
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--Coding for Champions--
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PASCAL SIAKAM: [SPEAKING FRENCH]
- Thank you for your time.
PASCAL SIAKAM: Yeah, thank you. Appreciate it.
