Post by CrimsonPhantom on Feb 25, 2020 17:14:07 GMT -7
PASCAL SIAKAM RELISHES the work. The process of getting better drives the Toronto Raptors forward in a way that sets him apart.
"He was always the first one in the gym," former teammate DeMar DeRozan said. "He always came back to the gym at night. He worked on everything he does now."
Year after year Siakam has put in specific work to take a weakness of his game and turn it into a strength, which has allowed the 25-year-old forward to blossom into an All-Star.
"I love the fact that I can not be able to do something and I can put in a lot of hours doing it and I can become good at it," Siakam said. "It feels good. It feels so great, and I enjoy that. So I want that feeling.
"I love the feeling that I get on the court and I take two dribbles and I turn around and make the shot and the defender is like, 'F--- no,' and I'm making it. It feels so good because he can't make that shot, but he doesn't know how many hours you put in trying to make that shot."
All that work led to Siakam winning the NBA's Most Improved Player award a season ago. This season, as an encore, he's averaging career highs in points, rebounds and assists. Whether he wins the award again or not, Siakam is not done chasing the feeling of improvement.
THAT FEELING BEGAN to materialize for Siakam at New Mexico State, where he spent two years playing for coach Marvin Menzies. Though he was recruited as a 6-foot-9 power forward, Siakam wanted to handle the ball.
"People would make fun of me because they were acting like I can't dribble," Siakam said. "But, in my head, I was always a guard ... I was like, 'Yo, I'm tall, but I don't care. I'm not no big man.'"
Menzies and Siakam made an agreement: In games, Siakam would do whatever was necessary to help his team win. But on practice days, when the team broke into individual workouts, Siakam could focus on developing the skills he so badly wanted to showcase. And it became clear during those workouts what Siakam could be capable of.
"He was a kid who you said, 'Holy smokes, if he ever figures this out, he's going to be pretty good,'" Menzies said with a laugh.
"He was always the first one in the gym," former teammate DeMar DeRozan said. "He always came back to the gym at night. He worked on everything he does now."
Year after year Siakam has put in specific work to take a weakness of his game and turn it into a strength, which has allowed the 25-year-old forward to blossom into an All-Star.
"I love the fact that I can not be able to do something and I can put in a lot of hours doing it and I can become good at it," Siakam said. "It feels good. It feels so great, and I enjoy that. So I want that feeling.
"I love the feeling that I get on the court and I take two dribbles and I turn around and make the shot and the defender is like, 'F--- no,' and I'm making it. It feels so good because he can't make that shot, but he doesn't know how many hours you put in trying to make that shot."
All that work led to Siakam winning the NBA's Most Improved Player award a season ago. This season, as an encore, he's averaging career highs in points, rebounds and assists. Whether he wins the award again or not, Siakam is not done chasing the feeling of improvement.
THAT FEELING BEGAN to materialize for Siakam at New Mexico State, where he spent two years playing for coach Marvin Menzies. Though he was recruited as a 6-foot-9 power forward, Siakam wanted to handle the ball.
"People would make fun of me because they were acting like I can't dribble," Siakam said. "But, in my head, I was always a guard ... I was like, 'Yo, I'm tall, but I don't care. I'm not no big man.'"
Menzies and Siakam made an agreement: In games, Siakam would do whatever was necessary to help his team win. But on practice days, when the team broke into individual workouts, Siakam could focus on developing the skills he so badly wanted to showcase. And it became clear during those workouts what Siakam could be capable of.
"He was a kid who you said, 'Holy smokes, if he ever figures this out, he's going to be pretty good,'" Menzies said with a laugh.
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