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The Toronto Raptors' Pascal Siakam has been having a challenging time since he came back from his season-ending injury and subsequent surgery last year. The All-Star forward has been facing pressure and adversity from all sides—but mostly from himself—as he tries to make a strong comeback this season. So far into the season, Siakam has been averaging 17.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 3.8 assists, solid averages considering everything. This was bannered by his strong performance against the Sacramento Kings on Thursday night, where he had 32 points, on 10-for-12 shooting, and 3-for-3 from deep, to go along with 8 rebounds, 1 assist, and 2 blocks to boot. This was certainly a breakout game for Siakam, yet he has been his harshest critic so far, as Josh Lewenberg reports:
Pascal Siakam: "Last game I felt like I was running in mud the whole game… It's just waking up every day continuing to push forward knowing it's going to be tough, but once I get that rhythm and my legs under me I know what I can do, and I have to focus on that"
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) November 20, 2021
As Siakam continues to play his brand of basketball, no one is sure how he will develop post-surgery. Yet it must be important to remember that Siakam is only a couple seasons removed from his All-Star performances in the past, and his #2 role behind Kawhi Leonard on the 2019 Toronto Raptors squad. Whether or not Siakam returns—or even improves to become a better player than before—after his surgery is still unknown. As further reported by Josh Lewenberg:
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Siakam: "I'm super tough on myself because I know the amount of work I put in, and sometimes I can over-analyze things. Just talking to guys that have been doing it a high level, one of the things they always say is to have a short memory, stay focused, continue to move forward"
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) November 20, 2021
Yet what we do know is that he has taken to becoming his own biggest critic, which fuels him come game night. Only time will tell whether Siakam's penchant for self-analysis will pay dividends for the Raptors in the future.
