Grading The First Returns Of Pascal Siakam's Tenure With The Pacers

Pascal Siakam is beginning to feel at home in Indianapolis and his new situation suits him well.

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Grading Pascal Siakam’s first returns with the Pacers
Pascal Siakam Pacers statistics

After losing his first three games in a Pacers uniform, Siakam helped his new team get into the win column in a big way, delivering the sixth triple-double of his career to lead Indiana to the first of three consecutive victories. And just over a week into his tenure with the Pacers, Siakam took to Instagram to say “I could get used to this,” a sentiment Indiana fans are sure to echo.

While Siakam’s partnership with the Pacers is just beginning, we’ve seen enough to see his progress in the blue and gold.

Grading Pascal Siakam’s first returns with the Pacers

Before we get too deep into the early results, it’s important to note that Siakam was brought to Indiana to team with All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton. After returning from a hamstring injury to play alongside Siakam in his Pacers debut, Haliburton returned to the inactive list for another five games.

The five-game absence is small in the grand scheme, but huge within the scope of a six-game sample.

Through six games as a Pacer, Siakam is averaging 21.3 points, 7.7 rebounds and 5.7 assists while shooting 57.6 percent from the field and 38.5 percent from 3-point range. Most of this has come without the league’s assists leader to set it up.

For perspective, five of Siakam’s nine field goals in his Pacers debut were assisted by Haliburton. But the numbers in Haliburton’s absence show exactly why the Pacers made the decision to acquire Siakam: He can create for himself and others.

“6-9 playmaking power forwards in this league are a rare commodity if you can get one of them,” Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said. saying in reaction to trade.

“Pascal is a guy with a lot of diverse skills on both ends of the floor (rebounds the ball, can make plays), so we think he’s obviously a good match with Tyrese and a good fit for our team.”

Siakam’s tenure with the Pacers began on the downside when the trade became official while the team was on a Western Conference trip. Before debuting with the team, Siakam traveled from Toronto to Indianapolis, then headed to Portland to take the court with no real practice time to acclimate with his new teammates.

The fact that he found ways to contribute says everything you need to know about Siakam’s standing as a player.

Carlisle’s assessment of what is expected of Siakam gives a good scale for rating his contributions thus far. Again, it’s a small sample size, but Siakam is rebounding and shooting better than he did with Toronto this season. Defensively, he gives Indiana more flexibility.

Much has been made of the Pacers’ defensive woes this season: They ranked 27th in defensive rating before the trade, but as Pacers writer Caitlin Cooper noted, Siakam’s versatility plugs a number of holes on that end of the floor. Indiana can thank Siakam’s role in Toronto’s small lineups for the comfort of him playing defense at the center position.

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—Caitlin Cooper (@C2_Cooper) January 22, 2024

We’ll learn more about Siakam’s chemistry with Haliburton in due time, but the sample size of one game suggests the two will enjoy a fruitful combination.

As the Pacers look to return to the NBA Playoffs for the first time since 2020, Siakam’s role as a secondary playmaker gives Carlisle flexibility with his lineups, which, in turn, is a big plus for the Pacers’ depth. Indiana.

When Haliburton goes to the bench, Siakam can be the main creator in lineups with many reserves, so opposing defenses will not have a rest. Siakam’s scoring ability and playmaking mean he can hurt teams in multiple ways, and Indiana has pieces that will thrive off of his strengths.

It’s early, but everything we’ve seen from Siakam in a Pacers uniform suggests things will only get better with time. There’s room for improvement, yes, but it’s mostly the growth (and growing pains) that will come with Haliburton’s full return to the lineup.

Qualification: B+