Within the final few minutes of Game 7 between the Toronto Raptors and Boston Celtics, you could see the urgency of the moment painted on Pascal Siakam’s face as time ran out in the series. Veteran point guard Kyle Lowry had fouled out and the realities of Siakam’s limitations as a first-option offensive initiator and creator were no longer hidden behind the sorcery of the tenured Raptor.
There’s no fun in seeing players as joyful, humble and gifted as Siakam confronted with the inadequacies of their current abilities and overwhelmed by the demands of their role, but I learned not too long ago that in order to bask in any eventual glory, you must savour the journey — it’ll make it that much sweeter.