Toronto Raptors big man Marc Gasol wants to make it very clear that he believes in Pascal Siakam.

As the 25-year-old big man prepares for his first season as the Raptors' main offensive option, Siakam will have all of the support in the world from his teammates — as Gasol made very clear to the media.

Not only did the 34-year-old Gasol state that Siakam will reach another level this season, he's stressing that Siakam has the “confidence” and “trust” of the teammates around him entering the 2019-20 season:

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The Raptors are the defending NBA champions, but let's be real here: they're not going to win the title this next season. Kawhi Leonard is no longer a member of the Raptors, which means Siakam is the guy. Gasol is doing everything in his power to boost Siakam's confidence as he enters the biggest season of his career.

Gasol's comments just so happen to come right after Siakam officially agreed to a four-year, $130 million extension with the Raptors. In other words, not only do his teammates have trust in him, the organization clearly does too.

The Cameroon-born Siakam is coming off the most productive season of his career. Not only did he win Most Improved Player last season, he posted career highs in points per game (16.9), rebounds per game (6.9) and field goal percentage (54.9). He also started 79 of his 81 appearances after serving as a key reserve during the 2017-18 season.

Considering Siakam is the key young gun of the Raptors' core — Gasol, Serge Ibaka and Kyle Lowry are all over the age of 30 — he'll have to carry the burden if Toronto wants to remain viable this season.