The Indiana Pacers have reached a new level this season thanks in large part to a mindset shift by one of their non-Tyrese Haliburton stars.
One game away from the NBA Finals and in their second consecutive Eastern Conference Finals, the Pacers have proven beyond a reasonable doubt that they are one of the NBA’s top clubs, regardless of being overlooked for years.
Head coach Rick Carlisle has reminded everyone that he is a top-three coach in the NBA. Haliburton has arrived as a superstar point guard with the clutch gene.
And while Carlisle and Hali deserve their flowers, not enough people are giving love to Pascal Siakam, who has been even better this season than he was last year for the Pacers.
Keep in mind that this was Siakam’s first full season with Indiana. He played 39 games with the Toronto Raptors in 2023-24 before getting traded to Indy and playing 41 games in a Pacers uniform.
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Now that Siakam has had more than a calendar year to adjust to Carlisle’s system, he’s flourishing.
And as The Ringer’s Bill Simmons noted during a new episode of The Bill Simmons Podcast on Wednesday, Siakam’s most crucial adjustment has been his ability to get up to speed with the Pacers, literally speaking.
“I didn't love the fit with Siakam with them 100 percent because I thought he (didn't want) to go as fast as they wanted to go,” Simmons said.
“He's committed to the style now and he's playing way more breakneck than I think he used to. I thought he was too deliberate with them last year. He's getting eight free points a game by just being faster than every other big man on the floor. And when they need him to be deliberate, he's picking his spots.”
Siakam is averaging 25.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game on 54.1 percent shooting through the first four games of the ECF versus the New York Knicks.
The former Raptors NBA champion is averaging 20.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game on 54.5 percent shooting in the 2025 playoffs so far.
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