The biggest thing Pascal Siakam learned from Kawhi Leonard during the Toronto Raptors' title run

Author Photo
kawhi-siakam-11119-ftr-getty.jpg

Pascal Siakam had another big game on Sunday. In a win over the Los Angeles Lakers, the Toronto Raptors forward led the way with a team-high 24 points.

It wasn't, however, Siakam's prettiest showing of the season. He went 9-for-25 from the field, including 1-for-8 from the 3-point line. He also missed three of his eight free throw attempts.

Siakam had a particularly tough time scoring against Lakers forward Anthony Davis, who guarded him for most of the game. Even so, he never stopped attacking, even when his shot wasn't falling. It paid off in the second half, when he made a number of big plays as the Raptors were mounting their comeback.

Siakam credits former Raptor and current LA Clipper Kawhi Leonard for influencing that part of his game. After Toronto's win over the Lakers, Siakam said that he learned from Leonard's "poise" during their title run last season, noting how the two-time Finals MVP never got rattled.

"His poise and how he doesn't really get rattled," Siakam said. "I try to do that and add that to my game. When I miss a couple of shots, guys like Freddie are in my ear a little bit and telling me to continue to shoot and just stay confident.

"I think that's something that he had. He always had that."

Despite a rough shooting night, the Raptors outscored the Lakers by 15 points in Siakam's minutes on the court. That represented the highest plus-minus in the game.

Siakam also added 11 rebounds, four assists, three blocks and one steal to his stat line. One of his blocks came against LeBron James and led to a layup for Terence Davis that extended Toronto's lead to 11 points with under five minutes to play.

Siakam is now averaging 27.4 points, 9.4 rebounds and 3.7 assists through nine games this season. 

Siakam will get his first opportunity to face Leonard this season on Monday, when the Clippers host the Raptors for the third game of their five-game Western Conference road trip.

Author(s)
Scott Rafferty Photo

Scott Rafferty is a Senior NBA Editor for The Sporting News