Pacers, Haliburton ‘Doing a Better Job of Implementing’ Siakam

Highlights

Pascal Siakam’s acquisition boosted the Indiana Pacers to clinch the No. 6 seed with career-best shooting numbers.
In the playoffs, Siakam is dominating with 36.5 PPG and stellar shooting, ranked 1st in multiple categories.
Siakam’s success against the Bucks is attributed to Haliburton’s support and the absence of Giannis Antetokounmpo.

In January, the Indiana Pacers acquired Pascal Siakam from the Toronto Raptors to pair next to All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton. With Siakam on the team, the Pacers went 23-18 the rest of the way to ultimately clinch the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference. During that stretch, the Cameroon native 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. Though it’s a small sample size, these shooting numbers are career bests for the former NBA champion.

Siakam has played well so far with the Pacers, but he has leveled up in the playoffs. In two games against the Milwaukee Bucks, he is averaging 36.5 points, 12 rebounds, and 4 assists per game while shooting 64.6 percent from the field and 50 percent from the three-point line.

Pascal Siakam Playoff Stats and Ranking
Category	Average	Playoff Ranking
PPG	36.5	1st
RPG	12	8th
FG%	64.6%	1st
FGA	24	T-4th

Haliburton recently spoke about Siakam’s performance and what has caused his breakout this postseason.

“Early on, I was maybe a little too aggressive at trying to hunt him. But I think it’s helped build our chemistry because he sensed it too. Doing a better job of implementing him and he’s excelled well in that.”

Why Pascal Siakam Will Likely Keep Rolling Against the Bucks

The Pacers should continue to let the offense run through Siakam if they want to advance to the next round of the playoffs

While it is highly unlikely Siakam will average over 30 PPG the rest of the way, his recent success is not by accident. In addition to Haliburton being less aggressive on offense and letting it run on its own, Siakam is taking advantage of Milwaukee’s lack of Giannis Antetokounmpo. Antetokounmpo is one of the game’s best players because of his ability to take over a game at every level. This includes his extraordinary defense. Without Antetokounmpo, the Bucks have struggled to play elite defense. Though Brook Lopez and Khris Middleton are still as solid as ever, it is clear the Bucks are missing Antetokounmpo, who would inevitably make things more difficult on Siakam.

Currently, it seems possible that “The Greek Freak” will miss the rest of the first round. If so, there is little reason to believe Siakam will be unable to continue leading the Pacers on offense and making it challenging for Milwaukee’s defense to contain him.

Additionally, after Game 2, head coach Rick Carlisle praised Siakam’s presence, saying “he just doesn’t get rattled.”

“Pascal’s a guy that naturally has a personality and a presence that is poised,” Carlisle said following Indiana’s 125-108 Game 2 win. “He just doesn’t get rattled. He plays the game at his pace. He’s a unique player. His experience shows and he had a lot of big plays for us tonight.”

Siakam’s experience should allow him to continue playing at a high level against Milwaukee. Whether that could continue if the Pacers advance is a different story, however.

After tying the series 1-1, the Pacers will travel back home for Game 3 against the Bucks on Friday. With the Bucks likely not having Antetokounmpo for this game, it would not be a shock if Siakam takes over the game once again to lead Indiana to victory.

All stats courtesy of Basketball Reference and StatMuse.