What Raptors' Pascal Siakam would tell his younger self

Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam has been through quite the journey in his basketball career. After being named to the All-NBA third team, he discussed what he would tell a younger version of himself. Full availability is on our Yahoo Sports Canada YouTube channel.

Video Transcript

- Players are playing into their primes a lot later on in their 30s. Like guys are playing exceptional basketball at like 33, 34, and so forth. At 28 now, do you feel like you're kind of entering the prime of your career?

PASCAL SIAKAM: I think that-- I think I'm getting better. And that's something I always have to remind myself. I'm like, man, like, like 10 years ago, I don't know what I was doing, you know? So it's kind of like, it's kind of like just knowing that, again, I have a different kind of like path with everyone. Like everyone started playing when it was three or four years old, and, and you know, like basketball is all they know. And for me, just coming in at a different time and maybe a little older, and just continue to get better, I feel like I have a different type of vision on that. And knowing that like as long as I continue to improve the way that I'm doing, like I can play at a higher level for a really long time. So that's my goal. And I think that, yeah, like I'm getting better-- year, it's about to be year seven, man. Like, I can't even believe it. But just knowing the journey and how I evolved as a player, yeah, I expect more. I expect, I expect myself to play at a level that I probably haven't played before. And I feel like there's more. There's always more to achieve and I'm excited about that.

- Well, I mean, in that vein, then, I don't know if you've ever seen it, but there's a photo on Getty of you from 2011 at Basketball Without Borders and Serge Ibaka is there and Nick Collison's there.

PASCAL SIAKAM: Mm.

- Going back to that particular version of yourself, what would you tell him to prepare him for, I guess, these past seven years? Is there any advice you'd like to give him if you could?

PASCAL SIAKAM: Right. I mean, I think, yeah. Like, Be fearless, be patient [CHUCKLE]. It's going to be hard. It's not going to be easy. And just always believe in yourself, man. Like you are way more powerful than what you can imagine. And those thoughts that you have in your head, that you feel like maybe are too great to achieve, or those goals that you feel like are too great to achieve, like don't kind of like underestimate yourself. Go for it and stay humble, work hard, and yeah, like the world is yours.

-That's awesome.