Heading into their Eastern Conference Finals matchup against the Boston Celtics, the Indiana Pacers have exceeded expectations this season. Their success is in large part due to the emergence of All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton, as well as their depth. However, arguably the biggest factor in their rise is their in-season trade to acquire star forward Pascal Siakam. In January, the Pacers made a blockbuster trade to land Siakam from the Toronto Raptors. The hope was for Siakam to bring his talent and championship experience to move Indiana to another level. Four months later, it is evident he has done exactly that. However, Siakam is an unrestricted free agency this offseason. While Indiana’s postseason success so far may persuade the 30-year-old to stick around, nothing is definite. Recently, Pacers center Myles Turner expressed his hope that Siakam will remain with Indiana past this season.
“He’s a free agent this summer. We’re hoping that he signs back in Indiana. He’s someone that we’d love to have who can really help us going forward. I think it was a great move for us to get him. Kevin Pritchard was very adamant about trying to add more length, and he was able to get it done with a special player. I’ve really enjoyed playing with him in the frontcourt together. He’s someone who’s also going to help my game. He commands so much attention that I’m able to get loose for my threes.”
Siakam played 41 games with the Pacers in the regular season, which is exactly half the season. In those games, he averaged 21.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game. Furthermore, he shot 54.9% from the field and 38.6% from beyond the arc.
Indiana Pacers Big Man “Hoping” Teammate Will Re-Sign
Pascal Siakam’s Impact on the Pacers
Regardless of whether he stays with the team for the long run, Siakam has already made his presence felt in Indiana. During the team’s first-round series against the Milwaukee Bucks, Haliburton spoke about how much of an impact Siakam has made on his own game.
“Probably early, I was maybe a little too aggressive at trying to hunt him,” Haliburton told The Athletic. “Not being who I am. But I think it’s helped build our chemistry because he sensed it too. He came up to me and was like ‘You’re not being you. You’re hunting me maybe a little too much.’ That was one of the first real honest conversations that we had. So just doing a better job of implementing him into what we already do offensively and he’s excelled well in that.”
Furthermore, Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle, who is a two-time NBA champion himself, praised Siakam’s playoff experience and called it “so valuable” to the team.
“His experience in the playoffs is so valuable,” Carlisle said. “He’s not a guy that’s going to get rattled by anything. Never has once, since January, since we got him. He’s a guy people confide in, look up to. He’s an important part of what we’re doing.”
The Last Word on Pascal Siakam and the Pacers
Siakam and the Pacers face their toughest test so far against the Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals. Currently, the Celtics are the favorites to win the series in five games.
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