Pascal Siakam continues to be a steadying force for the Pacers as they traverse the ups and downs of the season, Dustin Dopirak of IndyStar writes. He’s been the most consistent player on Indiana since his arrival via trade before last year’s deadline, in the eyes of Dopirak.
Even when falling to 10-15 on the season, the Pacers continued to lean on Siakam and have gone 12-4 since, which included an impressive win over the contending Cavaliers. More outstanding, is the fact that Siakam hasn’t even been on Indiana’s injury report. In fact, the only game he’s been inactive for was his first as a Pacer the day after being traded.
As Dopirak observes, Siakam leads the Pacers entering Tuesday with 19.9 points per game and 7.4 rebounds to go along with 3.3 assists while shooting 52.1% from the field and 40.8% from deep. His three-point rate would be a career-high clip. He’s working on being a more vocal leader after being a core piece on the Raptors’ 2019 championship team. Siakam signed a max contract with the Pacers this past offseason.
“I put a lot of work into my craft,” Siakam said. “I think every single night, I’m ready. I’m ready however the ball is gonna go. There’s going to be times when you might get more opportunity than others. It’s just all about preparation. For me, I prepare every single day for these moments. Every single night I’m out there, I want to be a threat on all three levels. I want to do it consistently every single night.”
We have more from the Central Division:
- Tyrese Haliburton missed Tuesday’s rematch against the Cavaliers — a 117-127 loss that snapped a six-game Pacers win streak — due to mild groin strain, Dopirak reports (Twitter link). Head coach Rick Carlisle said Haliburton would be “day-to-day.” According to Dopirak (Twitter link), it is not a hamstring injury for Haliburton, which is worth noting, since the two-time All-Star struggled with that injury last season.
- Entering Tuesday, the Pistons led the league in wins in the month of January, earning them a nod for most surprising team of the year, Tim Reynolds of the AP opines. Just a year ago, the Pistons lost an NBA record 28 consecutive games, and Cade Cunningham is establishing himself as a bonafide star who has a chance to start the All-Star Game. “Our job is to put him in position to be successful. And then he’s got to go out there and do it,” head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “Over these 40 games now, he and I and his teammates have learned a lot about each other and how we can best help each other. And that’s what it’s about — each of us playing our role and doing what we’re supposed to do together and collectively to just help one another, make this team as good as we possibly can. Cade knows his role and what this team needs, and he’s executed perfectly.” Cunningham is averaging 26.5 points and 8.3 assists this month while shooting a blistering 45.8% from deep.
- Bucks star guard Damian Lillard is open to the idea of finishing out his career in EuroLeague, according to a report from BasketNews. “It’s something I’ve talked about with some members of my family the past two years but not seriously thought about,” Lillard said. It doesn’t seem like that time will come anytime soon, necessarily, if it does. Lillard is playing at an All-Star level at age 34, averaging 24.8 points and 7.3 assists while shooting 44.0% from the floor and 37.5% from three.