Pascal Siakam, Not Kawhi Leonard, is the Future of the Toronto Raptors | THE MARK-UP

The Raptors' Game 1 win over the Golden State Warriors revealed what most NBA insiders have been stating for months: should Kawhi Leonard leave Toronto, Pascal Siakam is the future in the 6.

Leonard's been linked with Los Angeles for two full seasons now, with his most recent likely destination deemed to be the Clippers, rather than the Lakers. Masai Ujiri went all-in when he acquired Leonard for just one season in an attempt to maximize the asset into an NBA Finals run -- and it worked. Kawhi made no future commitment to Toronto, and despite the efforts of local business owners, the man refuses to comment on his plans past these NBA Finals.

And that's completely fair. Considering all he's been through -- from his unfortunate injury in his last matchup against Golden State in the playoffs and his dramatic exit from San Antonio -- Leonard only trusts his inner circle. Why deviate from that, regardless of the love Toronto and franchise ambassador Drake might show him?

When Leonard leaves (and it appears to be heading in that direction), Siakam will be the future of the franchise, and Ujiri knows this. That's why Thursday night's Game 1 performance -- a 32-point, eight-rebound and five-assist domination -- should not go unnoticed.

The Cameroon native has the length and all-around game to be a franchise cornerstone. While it's convenient for Toronto to list him as their No. 2 frontcourt secret weapon against the Warriors, the Raps cannot hide Siakam forever. Come next season, he could very well be a must-stop on opposing scouting reports.

With or without Leonard, the Raptors are a force in the East, and his ability to space the floor and commitment to developing his game is scary for the rest of the conference. The former unknown commodity has come a long way.

In just his rookie season, Siakam was exposed in the postseason after being initially identified as a potential threat on a Raps team hoping to make a run in the then-LeBron-dominated East. Shortly after another playoff defeat, the talented forward was back in the gym, improving by the day, per coach Nick Nurse.

“It was the day after the [playoff] series, literally, the next day, him coming in and saying, ‘Listen, I need to learn how to shoot,’” Nurse said of Siakam. “We literally walked him down to square one, three feet from the basket and tried to explain the process.”

And it's that work ethic that's taken him from a modest 4.2 PPG bench contributor to a near-17-point scorer. Hell, he's fresh off humbling Draymond Green, one of the toughest, nastiest defensive players in all of basketball, on the game's greatest stage. After Game 1, the Flint, MI point-forward behemoth was perplexed with how far Siakam's game has come, stating the obvious in only four words:

“He’s become a guy.” And he's yours, Toronto.