OAKLAND, CALIF.—They are iconoclasts, Fred VanVleet and Pascal Siakam, and it should come as no surprise that their admiration and respect for each other is real and deep.
The undrafted kid from Illinois and the unknown kid from Cameroon, VanVleet and Siakam are outliers in the world of NBA talent development, where the best are often identified and coddled, projected and protected from their early teens until they make it to the league.
These two were players the Raptors took flyers on, and the gambles have paid off like few in franchise history. Perhaps, because of the uncommon history that they share, their affinity for each other is real.