Raptors forward Pascal Siakam, who returned from shoulder surgery on Sunday vs. Brooklyn, was limited to 25 minutes and admitted he felt some fatigue in his first game action since May.
“It was tough,” Siakam said, per Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca. “After my first three minutes I think I needed some gas or something. My legs were heavy and I think I couldn’t breathe at one point, but it was expected.”
While getting Siakam back in the lineup makes the Raptors a more well-rounded and dangerous team in the long term, there may be some growing pains in the short term, writes Steven Loung of Sportsnet.ca. The 27-year-old is one of the club’s go-to scoring options, meaning the players that stepped up in his absence will have to adjust – or readjust – to new roles.
“Everybody else is kind of affected by him coming back,” point guard Fred VanVleet said. “He’s going to play heavy minutes and have the ball and he’s going to be a big part of the offense. So, offensively, I think it’s just finding our rhythm and spacing and the flow and learning how to play with Pascal. For me it was great. I missed playing with him. The other guys who were playing with him for the first time, there will probably be a little bit of a learning curve.”
Here’s more on the Raptors:
- Count Nets superstar Kevin Durant among those who have come away impressed with what they’ve seen from Raptors rookie Scottie Barnes. “You’ve got a lot of guys who love to compete and love to win, but what’s more rare about Scottie Barnes is his IQ for the game, his length, his enthusiasm for the game. All of that stuff shines bright when you watch him play,” Durant said after Sunday’s game (link via Sportsnet.ca). “He knows how to play the right way and he’s only going to get better.”
- In a Q&A with Louisa Thomas of The New Yorker, Raptors president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri spoke about his desire to grow the game of basketball in Africa, the Raptors’ experience in Tampa, and why he decided to sign an extension with the franchise, among other topics.
- The Raptors look ahead of schedule in their rebuilding process, in the view of William Lou of Sportsnet.ca.
- In case you missed it, our Offseason in Review story on the Raptors was published earlier today.
Is Pascal siakam from france? Pascal sounds like a french person name IMO. Love that the international game is growing. Top players in the league from Greece and Slovenia.
camaroon. delano banton born right there in toronto too. og and barnes look great together.
Huh? Cameroon france or the country
french camaroon in africa is how it’s also known i guess.
Cameroon was originally a German colony. It was divided between France and the UK after World War I, then re-united 50 years ago.
so I was right? why did you correct me
Joel Embid is also from Cameroon.
Well, now Siakam HAS to be part of a deal for Simmons so he and Embiid can go on to dominate the league for years as The Cameroon Connection.
There are many French speaking African nations, some previously colonized by French, or still under French rule.
I don’t know that I would call the Raptors a rebuild, more of a re-tool. Two seasons ago they were in the second round of the playoffs, and last year has to be taken with a grain of salt as they were nomads. They look like a 45 win and playoff series team to me.
There’s no French rule, just French cherry-picking for national teams. Maybe Belgian bossing in Congo, but that’s not a good thing.