TORONTO – With 3:34 left in what was a laugher of a 122-95 victory on Nov. 28, 2016 over a Philadelphia 76ers team still very much going through “the Process,” a rookie Fred VanVleet checked into the game, sharing the floor with fellow rookie Pascal Siakam for the very first time in the NBA.
Not a lot happened, especially between the two players, as Siakam converted on an alley-oop pass from Norman Powell and VanVleet missed a short runner. However, though no one possibly could’ve known at the time, these three minutes and 34 seconds of Siakam and VanVleet playing together was the beginning of one of the NBA’s most prolific duos.
In total, Siakam and VanVleet have shared an NBA floor for 5,723 minutes and combined for 13,392 points.
Just this season alone, despite Siakam’s early-season absence and Covid protocols keeping both players out for a time, the duo has already played 663 minutes together and scored 1,551 points — making up 11.6 per cent of their minutes and point totals when the two share the floor.
Put in a simpler way: Siakam and VanVleet have both been phenomenal this season and their individual statistics can tell this story very effectively with Siakam averaging 20.6 points, 8.4 rebounds and 4.5 assists while shooting 47.7 per cent from the field, and VanVleet putting up 22 points, five rebounds, 6.7 assists while shooting 40.9 per cent from three-point range on 9.4 three-point attempts per game.
However, had it not been for the synergy and connection that Siakam and VanVleet have forged with each other on and off the floor over the last five and a half seasons, these gaudy individual numbers probably wouldn’t be possible.
“I think just the dynamic of how it has been going really like, I just think about the Milwaukee game where they were kind of just guarding me in the backcourt, you know, I could just throw it ahead to Pascal let them play four-on-four,” said VanVleet after Raptors practice on Monday. “So just trying to give Pascal more spacing and more opportunity. He’s really tough to guard one-on-one. …
“So, for me, with the way that I’ve been shooting the ball and scoring, I think we’re helping each other and him being a playmaker and handling the basketball, I think it’s helping my offence. So, just trying to play off each other, trying to set the tone. I think this is kind of the way that we envisioned that things would go. And it’s gonna be a back and forth, it’s gonna be different guys every night, but obviously me and [Siakam] have been locked in together over the last couple of games. So, it’s big. It’s big for our team. We’ve got to do it. As the leaders of this team, we’ve got to go out there and perform and I think we have a good chance when we do.”
To VanVleet’s point, as part of the six-game winning streak the Raptors have enjoyed, he and Siakam have combined to average 74.5 points, 30 rebounds and 15.7 assists per games on 46.4 per cent from the field and 40 per cent from three-point range.
A stretch of games that perfectly encapsulates the way the two have managed to play off each other, with what appears to be times in games where the two take turns dominating.
“It’s fun,” Siakam told reporters of playing off VanVleet after he helped the Raptors to their sixth straight victory Sunday. “It definitely reminds of us of old times, just being on the floor together and the bench mob and, obviously, winning the championship. It feels good, and I think when we’re all rolling and playing well. It’s fun.”
Even more fun, there doesn’t appear to be any ego between VanVleet and Siakam over who’s getting more touches and shots up. As their coach tells it, the fact that VanVleet has been putting up more shots of late has more to do with matchup than anything else.
“A lot of the volume of shots is dependent on what we’re seeing defensively,” said Nick Nurse. “We’ve had a couple games in a row where we’ve played against two bigs and it’s a dribble-handoff game or a ball-screen game a little more than whatever.”
Regardless of who ends up taking the shot or how many shots they take, an awful lot of those shots are finding the bottom of the hole for both of them and that’s what matters most for the Raptors. With Siakam and VanVleet playing the way they are, and doing it in tandem at that, it makes Toronto a very difficult basketball team to beat.
“I think they’re in a good connection level right now. I think it’s kind of come back. They’re both in rhythm individually, and now they’re in sync together,” said Nurse. “There are a lot of combinations of things they can do together. They’ve kind of always had it. Now it’s at such a different volume because of their status as a team on our roster. We used to kind of use them as unexpected guys to work together when you had a bunch of guys there. Now they’re the main guys, and that’s why the volume has gone up so much.”
Added VanVleet: “Like, 99 per cent of the time I know what he’s gonna do and I’m pretty sure he feels the same about me. So, it’s like we kind of know each other pretty well by now.”
Quick dribbles
• VanVleet was named the Eastern Conference player of the week for averages of 30.3 points, 6.5 assists and 4.8 rebounds per game helping the Raptors to a perfect 4-0 record last week.
• With his recent run of success, VanVleet has seen far more attention from opposing defences, including something that’s very funnily familiar to him.
“I’ve been getting a lot of attention, face guarding, we’ve seen a Box-and-One at least a couple times,” said VanVleet. “It’s ironic, for sure, to say the least, but it’s been fun, it’s been a challenge to learn and to adapt and have to stay locked in.”
• As part of Toronto’s six-game winning streak, Siakam has been seen more often playing backup point guard minutes and has seen his playmaking ability grow, averaging 6.4 assists per game during the streak.
Given the versatile nature of his game, this shouldn’t be all that surprising, but seeing how comfortable he is running and initiating the offence is still a little jarring at times. However, according to VanVleet, this has been a long time coming for Siakam.
“I don’t remember there being a moment but by our second year, it was pretty clear on how it was gonna go,” said VanVleet. “Whether there was the summer workouts or just having him bring the ball up the court and seeing him play in open space with the ball, you could see it pretty early.
“I always knew him as a back-to-the-basket guy just because I’ve played against him at New Mexico State and he was a really, really, really good post player on the block, so once he started pushing the break and getting out in transition and stretching to the rim you could see the vision of where it was going and he was obviously a huge part of our Bench Mob success, having him be out there making plays and he’s just continued to grow every year and he’s continuing to get better and I think the sky’s the limit for him in terms of him being that point forward, a guy out on the break making plays and, offensively, getting us organized.”
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A top official of the Pakistan Cricket Board declined Friday to confirm media reports that India has decided against playing any games in host Pakistan during next year’s Champions Trophy.
“My view is if there’s any problems, they (India) should tell us in writing,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told reporters in Lahore. “I’ll share that with the media as well as with the government as soon as I get such a letter.”
Indian media reported Friday that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has communicated its concerns to all the Champions Trophy stakeholders, including the PCB, over the Feb. 19-March 9 tournament and would not play in arch-rival Pakistan.
The Times of India said that “Dubai is a strong candidate to host the fixtures involving the Men in Blue” for the 50-over tournament.
Such a solution would see Pakistan having to travel to a neutral venue to play India in a group match, with another potential meeting later in the tournament if both teams advanced from their group. The final is scheduled for March 9 in Pakistan with the specific venue not yet decided.
“Our stance is clear,” Naqvi said. “They need to give us in writing any objections they may have. Until now, no discussion of the hybrid model has happened, nor are we prepared to accept one.”
Political tensions have stopped bilateral cricket between the two nations since 2008 and they have competed in only multi-nation tournaments, including ICC World Cups.
“Cricket should be free of politics,” Naqvi said. “Any sport should not be entangled with politics. Our preparations for the Champions Trophy will continue unabated, and this will be a successful event.”
The PCB has already spent millions of dollars on the upgrade of stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi which are due to host 15 Champions Trophy games. Naqvi hoped all the three stadiums will be ready over the next two months.
“Almost every country wants the Champions Trophy to be played here (in Pakistan),” Naqvi said. “I don’t think anyone should make this a political matter, and I don’t expect they will. I expect the tournament will be held at the home of the official hosts.”
Eight countries – Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan – are due to compete in the tournament, the schedule of which is yet to be announced by the International Cricket Council.
“Normally the ICC announces the schedule of any major tournament 100 days before the event, and I hope they will announce it very soon,” Naqvi said.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Ottawa‘s Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand are through to the doubles final at the WTA Finals after a 7-6 (7), 6-1 victory over Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Australia’s Ellen Perez in semifinal action Friday.
Dabrowski and Routliffe won a hard-fought first set against serve when Routliffe’s quick reaction at the net to defend a Perez shot gave the duo set point, causing Perez to throw down her racket in frustration.
The second seeds then cruised through the second set, winning match point on serve when Melichar-Martinez couldn’t handle Routliffe’s shot.
The showdown was a rematch of last year’s semifinal, which Melichar-Martinez and Perez won in a super tiebreak.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will face the winner of a match between Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, and Hao-Ching Chan and Veronika Kudermetova in the final on Saturday.
Dabrowski is aiming to become the first Canadian to win a WTA Finals title.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
Inter Milan winger Tajon Buchanan, recovered from a broken leg suffered in training at this summer’s Copa America, is back in Jesse Marsch’s Canada squad for the CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinal against Suriname.
The 25-year-old from Brampton, Ont., underwent surgery July 3 to repair a fractured tibia in Texas.
Canada, ranked 35th in the world, plays No. 136 Suriname on Nov. 15 in Paramaribo. The second leg of the aggregate series is four days later at Toronto’s BMO Field.
There is also a return for veteran winger Junior Hoilett, who last played for Canada in June in a 4-0 loss to the Netherlands in Marsch’s debut at the Canadian helm. The 34-year-old from Brampton, now with Scotland’s Hibernian, has 15 goals in 63 senior appearances for Canada.
Midfielder Ismael Kone, recovered from an ankle injury sustained on club duty with France’s Marseille, also returns. He missed Canada’s last three matches since the fourth-place Copa America loss to Uruguay in July.
But Canada will be without centre back Derek Cornelius, who exited Marseille’s win Sunday over Nantes on a stretcher after suffering an apparent rib injury.
The Canadian men will prepare for Suriname next week at a camp in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
“We are looking forward to getting the group together again with the mindset that there is a trophy on the line,” Marsch said in a statement. “We want to end 2024 the right way with two excellent performances against a competitive Suriname squad and continue building on our tremendous growth this past summer.”
The quarterfinal winners advance to the Nations League Finals at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., with the two semifinals scheduled for March 20 and the final and third-place playoff March 23, and qualify for the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Thirteen of the 23 players on the Canadian roster are 25 or younger, with 19-year-old defender Jamie Knight-Lebel, currently playing for England’s Crewe Alexandra on loan from Bristol City, the youngest.
Bayern Munich star Alphonso Davies captains the side with Stephen Eustaquio, Jonathan Osorio, Richie Laryea, Alistair Johnston and Kamal Miller adding veteran support.
Jonathan David, Cyle Larin and Theo Bair are joined in attack by Minnesota United’s Tani Oluwaseyi.
Niko Sigur, a 21-year-old midfielder with Croatia’s Hadjuk Split, continues in the squad after making his debut in the September friendly against Mexico.
Suriname made it to the Nations League quarterfinals by finishing second to Costa Rica in Group A of the Nations League, ahead of No. 104 Guatemala, No. 161 Guyana and unranked Martinique and Guadeloupe.
“A good team,” Osorio said of Suriname. “These games are always tricky and they’re not easy at all … Suriname is a (former) Dutch colony and they’ll have Dutch players playing at high levels.”
“They won’t be someone we overlook at all,” added the Toronto FC captain, who has 81 Canada caps to his credit.
Located on the northeast coast of South America between Guyana and French Guiana, Suriname was granted independence in 1975 by the Netherlands.
Canada has faced Suriname twice before, both in World Cup qualifying play, winning 4-0 in suburban Chicago in June 2021 and 2-1 in Mexico City in October 1977.
The Canadian men, along with Mexico, the United States and Panama, received a bye into the final eight of the CONCACAF Nations League.
Canada, No. 2 in the CONCACAF rankings, drew Suriname as the best-placed runner-up from League A play.
Canada lost to Jamaica in last year’s Nations League quarterfinal, ousted on the away-goals rule after the series ended in a 4-4 draw. The Canadians lost 2-0 to the U.S. in the final of the 2022-23 tournament and finished fifth in 2019-20.
Canada defeated Panama 2-1 last time out, in an Oct. 15 friendly in Toronto.
Goalkeepers Maxime Crepeau and Jonathan Sirois, defenders Joel Waterman, Laryea and Miller and Osorio took part in a pre-camp this week in Toronto for North America-based players.
Canada Roster
Goalkeepers: Maxime Crepeau, Portland Timbers (MLS); Jonathan Sirois, CF Montreal (MLS); Dayne St. Clair, Minnesota United FC (MLS).
Defenders: Moise Bombito, OGC Nice (France); Alphonso Davies, Bayern Munich (Germany); Richie Laryea, Toronto FC (MLS); Alistair Johnston, Celtic (Scotland); Jamie Knight-Lebel. Crewe Alexandra, on loan from Bristol City (England); Kamal Miller, Portland Timbers (MLS); Joel Waterman, CF Montreal (MLS).
Midfielders: Ali Ahmed. Vancouver Whitecaps (MLS); Tajon Buchanan, Inter Milan (Italy); Mathieu Choiniere, Grasshopper Zurich (Switzerland); Stephen Eustaquio, FC Porto (Portugal); Junior Hoilett, Hibernian FC (Scotland); Ismael Kone, Olympique Marseille (France); Jonathan Osorio, Toronto FC (MLS); Jacob Shaffelburg, Nashville SC (MLS); Niko Sigur, Hadjuk Split (Croatia).
Forwards: Theo Bair, AJ Auxerre (France); Jonathan David, LOSC Lille (France); Cyle Larin, RCD Mallorca (Spain); Tani Oluwaseyi, Minnesota United (MLS).
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
