One spicy, one steady, both ready; Why Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet are eager to lead Torontos -

TORONTO – Fred VanVleet pulled out his phone and scrolled through his photos until he found it – an image of what remained of his left front tooth following an unfortunate, brutal Shaun Livingston elbow to his face in Game 4 of last season’s NBA Finals. VanVleet was sprawled out on his back upon contact, arms spread wide as blood trickled down his right cheek and pieces of his broken tooth sloshed around in his mouth. The biggest chunk of his tooth rested somewhere on the court, captured by ABC cameras for dramatic effect. But nobody bothered to bring it back to VanVleet, who assumes it was simply swept away by one of the ball boys at Oracle Arena.

“Sucks, right?” said VanVleet, who can laugh about it now, four months later, while in possession of a gaudy, gold and diamond-encrusted monstrosity that the Toronto Raptors are passing off as championship rings. An NBA banner now also hangs amongst the 13 belonging to the Maple Leafs (none since 1967) at Scotiabank Arena.

VanVleet still has a noticeable blemish under his right eye – “a conversation piece,” he called it with a grin – because of that collision. And this offseason, he had to endure weeks of pain in his mouth, a root canal and having a crown inserted into his mouth to replace a piece of a tooth that, if discovered, would probably fetch a pretty penny on eBay. All told, beginning with the temporary enamel that was needed to let him finish the six-game victory over the Golden State Warriors, Van Vleet estimates that he probably made about eight visits to the dentist to get his mouth looking normal again.

“More than I’ve been in my whole life. I hate going to the dentist,” VanVleet said, before expressing an appreciation of his battle scars. “It reminds me. It’s something that takes me back to that moment, takes me back to that time. What that mindset was – any means possible to get the ring. That ring makes it feel a little better.”

Kawhi Leonard, the man who justifiably earned most of the credit for the Raptors’ improbable run to the title, escaped for a storybook homecoming in Los Angeles, with the Clippers. What Leonard left behind is a prideful, defiant team that will now have to spend an entire season answering for his absence.

In the awkward position as a defanged defending champion, the first to ever have the Finals MVP leave for any other reason except retirement, the Raptors have already become a tad annoyed talking about what and who they no longer have on the roster. But Tuesday’s season-opening, 130-122, overtime victory over the New Orleans Pelicans provided the first opportunity to show that what remains of the team is enough to be competitive in a league Leonard leveled with one power-shifting flex last summer.

“It’s good that we’re not the favorites and people are not really blowing smoke and patting us on our backs. I think it’s a good position to be in,” VanVleet said. “We won. You can’t take that away. We are the champions. The league is real wide open. There’s no real favorites. You got the teams out there in LA, but even there, they’ve got to figure things out. We’ve got a good shot and that’s all you can ask for.”

The Raptors still have Kyle Lowry, the multiple time All-Star who is tacking on bonus points to a legacy that will eventually find his jersey looking down on Raptors fans, alongside that banner. But even Lowry recognizes the present and future of the organization rests on how far the up-and-comers, such as Pascal Siakam and VanVleet, can take it. The duo took turns carrying the Raptors in their first win, Siakam helping them hang against the feisty, Zion Williamson-less Pelicans and VanVleet going for the close. One spicy, one steady, both ready.

“Pascal, Freddie, they are the young core, they are the guys that will carry this thing on, for however the time comes. We’ll see them grow all year and continue to see them flourish,” Lowry said of the duo that started the first game of the post-Kawhi era with a combined 68 points, 23 rebounds and 12 assists. “These guys continuously work in the summer time. They’re never satisfied with being this or that. They continue to work on their game and work on their craft. They enjoy it. They enjoy being good. It’s pretty awesome to be a good basketball player.”

Siakam, the reigning most improved player, signed a four-year, $130-million extension and got his championship ring on consecutive days but seems unfazed by the heightened profile and expectations. The wiry big man, whose scoring comes in the most unorthodox, herky-jerky fashion, would be overwhelmed by what appears to be an overnight success story, if he didn’t know the work he invested into being prepared for it.

Siakam is all smiles as he sports his championship ring. (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)

“I’m always ready,” Siakam said as he made his way out of the locker room after the game. “You think about all the work you’ve put it. From the first day I got drafted, I always wanted more and I felt like I deserve to be at a different level, so I never settled. And I’m never going to settle. I’m always going to work and try to better myself.”

Leonard’s departure allowed Siakam to slide into the role of leading man, one that he has long sought. The youngest of six siblings, including four boys, Siakam was the last child capable of fulfilling the dream of his late father, Tchamo, who wanted to at least see one of his sons in the NBA. Tchamo Siakam died in a car accident five years ago and Pascal commemorates his passing before every game, writing “10/23” on his left shoe and “RIP Dad” on the right.

“I always say, ‘I feel like the chosen one,’” Siakam said of the dream shared by his family. “This was an opportunity for me, so I’ll take it. I have to go get it. From the first time I touched a basketball, I had something to prove. As an African. As someone that started playing basketball eight years ago. As someone coming here from a different country. Obviously, I play for something bigger, my dad and all that. But as a competitor, I always had that edge. A lot of people have their opinions and don’t think I deserve to be there, which is fine. I just got to continue to work hard to prove them wrong.”

Throughout his career, Siakam has had VanVleet by his side, whether it was leading the Raptors’ G League affiliate to a title in their rookie seasons, or as the excitable duo on the team’s bench mob, or as the youngsters unafraid of the NBA Finals stage, contributing just enough support to Leonard as he snared his second Finals MVP. “That’s my guy from Day One,” Siakam said of VanVleet. “I know what type of guy he is. He lives for the challenge. I do, too. It’s a perfect match for us. He’s definitely a great leader for us. And someone I always listen to and talk to all the time. We have a long way to go but I think we’re going in the right direction.”

VanVleet didn’t need to lose a tooth, or get his cheek busted to prove his feistiness or competitiveness. Marc Gasol had only been around a few months before he learned how VanVleet’s heart fit in his chest. Kevin Durant locked heads with VanVleet in his brief Finals appearance and recently said the undrafted guard who bet on himself is “going to be in the league for a long, long time. However long he wanna play, he gonna play.”

As the shining examples of the Raptors’ developmental program, VanVleet and Siakam carry considerable responsibility this season. How well they play could greatly influence the direction of the franchise and if team president Masai Ujiri is forced to expedite a rebuild by moving the 30-something veterans on the roster at the deadline. VanVleet signed an $18-million contract two years ago and will be a sought after free agent next summer, especially with several potential restricted free agents already agreeing to extensions. Toronto is all about saving that valuable salary cap space for 2021 but VanVleet could force its hand with a better-than-expected season.

“It’s great to have not only one, but two guys that went from nothing to something so fast,” VanVleet said. “Pascal worked himself into a max player. He’s going to have to carry a big load this year, and it’s just dope because I know how hard I work. I know how hard he works. That’s the best part. Nothing was given to us. We had to earn everything. It’s some of that in this league where guys get stuff handed to them. That’s not the case for Pascal, or me. I think that makes it a little bit sweeter.

“We’re very ambitious, very goal-driven and want to be great,” he continued. “And that’s something that’s just in you. I don’t know where it comes from, but some guys have it and some guys don’t. He’s definitely one of them guys, nothing is good for him. He always wants more and works and works until he gets it. Then we set new goals and try to get those.”

During a goosebump-inspiring ring and banner ceremony that brought their miraculous run — which saw them repeatedly flirt with disaster and capitalize on favorable bounces and broken-down foes — into perspective, the Raptors were able to happily share one last celebration with their fans before moving forward.

They’re not the favorites, but they’re also nowhere near as hopeless as the 1998-99 Chicago Bulls, who lost Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Phil Jackson in the most devastating encore ever for a championship team. Toronto is also unlikely to be the 1993-94 Bulls, who came within a controversial call or two from reaching the NBA Finals without a retired Jordan. But best believe they’re not going to concede.

“Bryce Harper is gone, too, but where are the (Washington) Nationals?” Pelicans Coach Alvin Gentry said, referencing the baseball team that reached the World Series for the first time after losing a former MVP in free agency. “I’m not ready to short sell these guys.”

The Raptors have benefited from going through the trials, pressure-packed moments and shared triumphs that define champions. “You’re at ease, because you know what it takes,” VanVleet said. “When you’re having a bad practice or a bad day, you’re not going to lose your shit over it. You understand that it’s such a long year and you really just focus on the end of the year. We build our habits, up until April, May and June and then you’ve got to go out there and perform.”

Given the unexpected ascendancy of players who comprised the first NBA title team in the lottery era with no lottery picks on the roster, the Raptors would prefer to be sold short. Slights would merely increase the size of the chips each player carries on his shoulder. The size of their championship rings reflects how much work this likeminded group put in to earn that respect and validation. Siakam said he could probably fit “three fingers” in the ring; VanVleet said he has no idea how he could actually wear it.

The Raptors may have been blinded by glare of their new jewelry and playfully placed them against their faces on Tuesday just to see them sparkle, but they recognize there is still work to be done. “It doesn’t change me,” Siakam said. “But it shows me that the hard work pays off. Then at the end of the day, it shows you that anything is possible. But as a competitor you want more. From now on, it’s go get that other ring. There is so much more to accomplish and I’m just thinking about the next one.”

“I think that’s what made us good last year. That’s why we won. Everybody had something to prove and that’s not going to change with success,” VanVleet said. “It would be nice to ride off into the sunset after a championship, retire and get $500 million. But that’s not how it’s set up. You celebrate it. You enjoy it. You relish it. Then, you move on and try to get another one.”

(Photo by Mark Blinch/NBAE via Getty Images)

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