Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam has been a revelation last season where he put up 16.9 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game. He was arguably the team's second-best player and was vital in the team's championship run. He capped off his 2018-19 campaign by winning the Most Improved Player of the Year award.
With Kawhi Leonard choosing to leave the Raptors, Siakam is expected to have a bigger role this season. He's already expressed his desire to stay long-term with the team, and he's hoping to get a contract extension as soon as possible.
Siakam told me that he'll leave the extension talks to his reps, but adds: "I love Toronto. I love being here and I'm definitely hopeful we can get it done."
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) September 28, 2019
Siakam believes that he'll continue to get better, and if that is true, the Raptors will definitely have a major cornerstone that they can build around.
This season, the Raptors have decided to stick with whoever is left from last season's championship team. Aside from Siakam, Marc Gasol, Kyle Lowry, and Serge Ibaka will all be returning. However, it seems that only Pascal is the one who's likely to stay with the team long-term, as Toronto could look to move their veterans in next year's trade deadline if they don't win a lot of games.
Siakam is still just 25 years old, which means that if he keeps on improving, he could become the Raptors' next superstar. He'll be entering his fourth year in the league next season, and it's possible that Toronto will run its offense through him.
And if the Raptors decide to give him a long-term extension, Siakam will most certainly do everything he can to show the management that they've made the right choice.
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