Raptors' Siakam shrugs off All-Star snub: I'm not playing for those things

Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam isn't sweating his exclusion from the All-Star team.

"I'm not playing for those type of things," Siakam said, according to CityNews Toronto's Lindsay Dunn. "Obviously it'd be awesome, but that's not my motivation."

Siakam added, "It is what it is, I just have to look at myself in the mirror and do everything I can to be in a position where it's not a debate."

The NBA announced the Eastern Conference All-Star reserves Thursday, with Joel Embiid, Jaylen Brown, Bam Adebayo, Julius Randle, DeMar DeRozan, Jrue Holiday, and Tyrese Haliburton selected.

Siakam is averaging a career-high 24.9 points, eight rebounds, and 6.2 assists. However, the Raptors have struggled this campaign, ranking 12th in the Eastern Conference with a 23-30 record.

Aside from the Raptors' season in Tampa Bay, this is the first time since 2013 that Toronto doesn't have a representative at the event, according to Sportsnet's Blake Murphy.

Siakam's last All-Star appearance came in the 2019-20 campaign, when he averaged 22.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 3.5 assists - all career highs at the time.

The Raptors take on the Houston Rockets on Friday, with tipoff slated for 8 p.m. ET.