Kawhi Leonard 2019: Pascal Siakam Cites Raptor Superstar as His Inspiration After Recent Win Against Brooklyn Nets

Kawhi Leonard and the Toronto Raptors are currently enjoying a five-game win streak following their victory against the Brooklyn Nets 115-105. As expected, the two-time Defensive Player of the Year was one of the major factors for the win.

Kawhi Leonard finished off with 26 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists on an 11-25 FG shooting. But a bigger name outshined Leonard as Pascal Siakam did better having drained 28 points, grabbing 10 rebounds, and dishing five assists on 11-21 shooting. It goes without saying that the stats of the two are eerily similar.

Looking closely into the matter, however, and the result isn’t as strange as anyone would think. In a recent interview given by Pascal Siakam with ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt, the emerging star said that Kawhi Leonard is his inspiration for having improved his game significantly, NBA reported.

“I think coming in, we all knew what type of player [Kawhi Leonard] was and I think, for me, just having him every night, how he works every single day - he's in practice, working on his game and he's a professional. Just seeing that for me kind of inspires me to go out there and work on my game as well,” Siakam said.

For his part, Kawhi Leonard also praised his teammates for their recent victory, outlining the team’s aggressive plays and constricting defense that limited the shots of the Nets throughout the match. But this doesn’t mean that the Nets didn’t put up a fight.

It’s just that the Raptors has more weapons to use compared to the Nets, not to mention the ever-reliable presence of Kawhi Leonard that constantly puts pressure on the opposing team’s scorers. With only three games away before the off-season ends, the Raptors are heading to the playoffs in the coming months and it would be interesting to see how well their roster performs in the biggest stage of basketball.