Pascal Siakam Credits Unsung Former Raptors Forward for Leadership

Former Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam credited Patrick Patterson for his leadership on Toronto's young team in 2016-17

Jan 24, 2017; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors forward Patrick Patterson (54) sets for a foul shot against the San Antonio Spurs during the second half at Air Canada Centre. The Spurs won 108-106. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Sousa-USA TODAY Sports / Kevin Sousa-USA TODAY Sports

Patrick Patterson deserves a little more respect.

The former Toronto Raptors forward got a shoutout from Pascal Siakam in a video shared to social media on Wednesday. The post mentioned how important Patterson was to Toronto's young core when Siakam was first breaking into the league during the 2016-17 season for the Raptors.

"For me, like Pat was my vet, I would say," Siakam said in the post. "Just taking us on, like young fella come through, like let’s go out today, young fella come through, let’s go to dinner. For me, he showed us the way."

DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry have long been credited as the leaders of those burgeoning Raptors teams during the second half of the 2010s, but Siakam said Patterson, Jared Sullinger, and other unsung heroes deserve credit too.

"They’ve been in the league, they know what it is. You always have those guys that kind of teach you the game," Siakam said. "Little things that you wouldn’t know if somebody didn’t tell you, just little etiquette things, and like how to move and seeing Kyle and DeMar come in early in the morning put the work in every single day no matter what they did, no matter what it is."

When Kawhi Leonard arrived in 2018, his leadership by example struck Siakam. Leonard wasn't much of a vocal leader, but his hard work was undeniable, Siakam said.

"I think for me, there’s people that lead by example, there’s people that come in and talk, there’s just like different leaders and I had everything throughout my career," Siakam said.

Siakam always more of a quiet leader during his tenure with the Raptors. He was a relentless worker in Toronto who showed up early and stayed late and hoped his work ethic would rub off on his young teammates. That stood in contrast to Fred VanVleet, who led Toronto as more of a vocal leader following the departure of Kyle Lowry.