Top 5 most promising Raptors under the age of 25
By Chris Mckee
No. 2 Pascal Siakam 6-foot-9 New Mexico State – Age: 23
Siakam turned about to be a surprise contributor to the Raptors line up during his rookie campaign in 2016-17, much the same as Fred VanVleet.
Some questioned if it was a stretch for the Raptors by selecting Siakam in the first-round of the 2016 draft after he played just two seasons at a smaller college like New Mexico State out of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC).
The WAC isn’t exactly a hot bed of college basketball and Siakam had to hone his skills by competing against the likes of UT Rio Grande Valley, Utah Valley and Grand Canyon.
Some questioned whether Siakam would be able to adjust to the NBA level of competition. He ended up getting a crash course by being only the fifth player in Raptors franchise history to start his first game as a rookie.
Perhaps he was pushed a little too soon into the starting line up and ended up struggling at times with the offensive side of his game.
However, he used his time with the Raptors 905 squad to show some flashes of promise by being named the G League Finals MVP and leading the 905 team to the title.
Expect Siakam to develop into a much bigger contributor for Toronto in the 2017-18 season.