For his 8th season in the NBA, Pascal Siakam will be under a new coach. But Toronto's Cameroonian winger isn't overly worried. He believes his qualities will enable him to adapt to Serbian Darko Rajakovic, who will be head coach in the NBA for the first time.
In Toronto, everything has to be redone or almost. Kyle Lowry, Serge Ibaka, Kawhi Leonard and most recently Fred VanVleet, several executives from the 2019 NBA champion team have jumped ship. Even coach Nick Nurse weighed anchor in April, after a third season that failed to live up to management's expectations. The rebuild will take place with Serbian Darko Rajakovic, who can be considered a rookie. A former assistant at Oklahoma, Memphis and Phoenix, the 44-year-old coach is the new bet of the Raptors' Nigerian manager Masai Ujri.
"I've been through all the roles".
He will be able to count on Pascal Siakam in particular to carry out his rebuilding mission.Despite several rumors of departure, the Cameroon winger has stayed with the Canadian franchise. Drafted in 2016, he has come through all the ranks and experienced every status: rookie, simple role-player, lieutenant and now franchise-player. How does he feel about this change on the bench? No major worries. "There's a new coach and a new philosophy. As far as I'm concerned, I've been through all the roles since I've been here. I remember when I just had to run and receive passes from Kyle [Lowry]. I've been through it all, I'm just a basketball player. So I don't worry too much about those questions. I know that at the end of the day, my basketball skills will adapt to any environment, any system," assures PS43.
"Pascal opens up space with his moves".
In any case, his new coach Darko Rajakovic is happy to be able to rely on him."Pascal is doing a great job, and it's even making him more efficient. He cuts, he moves without the ball, he opens up space with his movements. But you know, at the end of the day, you can't hide talent on the pitch. He's an excellent player, and the ball always ends up naturally in the hands of the best players. I'm proud of him and his commitment during the first three days of training camp," says the Canadiens' new technical boss.
