Nurse: Siakam didn't meet 'certain standards' before benching

Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse reinserted Pascal Siakam into the team's starting lineup Saturday after benching the forward for Thursday's win over the New York Knicks.

Before Toronto's meeting against the New Orleans Pelicans, Nurse offered more insight into the decision to reprimand the rising star but remained ultimately vague on specifics.

"It's something we're trying to work out here a little bit, and work it out early in the season and not let it prolong," he told reporters, courtesy of Sportsnet. "Again, more just an expectation of how we want to play and not individually how anybody wants to play.

"But there's certain standards that we want to set and he just needs to get on board with those. And he can do it. He can do it. It may be the first part of the process, but he can do it."

The Raptors reportedly sat Siakam because he left the court early in their loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday.

The 26-year-old picked up five fouls within a stretch of just over six minutes late in the fourth quarter against Philadelphia, causing him to foul out. However, rather than remain with the rest of the team on the sideline, Siakam was seen leaving the court before time expired.

When asked if there was something specific Siakam did to warrant the one-game punishment the following game, Nurse declined to elaborate.

"There certainly is, but it's nothing I'm going to describe to you," he said.

Siakam is averaging 18.7 points, nine rebounds, 4.7 assists, and a steal in three games this season while playing 39 minutes per contest. He's in the first season of the four-year max contract extension he signed with the club in 2019.