It’s been a predictably tough year for Indiana, even with Pascal Siakam playing like an All-Star
Indiana’s Pascal Siakam went 1-on-1 against Boston’s Derrick White as time was running out, backed into him a couple of times near the foul line, spun into the lane and then watched his shot kiss off the backboard and fall for what became a game-winner.
For the Pacers, it was joy.
There hasn’t been much of that this season.
Monday night’s 98-96 victory over the Celtics — one where Boston coach Joe Mazzulla answered every question in his postgame news conference by saying “illegal screen” — sent Indiana’s record to just 9-31 on the season, still the worst in the Eastern Conference. And that’s even with the Pacers now on a three-game winning streak.
It’s a far cry from seven months ago, when Indiana was in Game 7 of the NBA Finals and fully believing it was about to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder for the title. Then Tyrese Haliburton tore his Achilles in the first half, Myles Turner left in free agency and … well, everything is different.
Except, that is, for Siakam. He was an All-Star last season, his third selection to the league’s showcase game, and has even better numbers this season. And with the debut of another new All-Star format this season — U.S. vs. the World — the forward from Cameroon is hoping to get another invite.
“It’s going to be an honor if it happens,” Siakam said. “I’m not too focused on it. I just try to be the best player that I could be out there every single night. Some nights are going to be great. Some nights are not. But I just stick to the work and hopefully it comes with some accomplishments.”
Indiana coach Rick Carlisle has been campaigning. Siakam’s heroics on Monday night made it easy to keep it going.
“Just further makes the case for the All-Star team,” Carlisle said.
Siakam is averaging 23.5 points and 6.8 rebounds; only nine other players right now have numbers like that per game in both categories. It could be argued that he’s putting up those numbers for a team where he’s often the go-to option with Haliburton out for the year, and that’s fair. But Carlisle also points out that Siakam is leading by example, helping young players in new roles as the Pacers try to figure out who can best help them going forward.
“Pascal Siakam is one of the favorite players I’ve ever been around at any level,” Carlisle said. “He’s just amazing.”
The Pacers beat Sacramento on Dec. 8 for what was their sixth win of the season and the 999th in Carlisle’s career as a head coach. The milestone celebration was looming. The Pacers went into the next game wondering if that would be the night. It wasn’t. They did the same the next game. Again, it wasn’t. And so on. And so on. And so on. They lost 13 in a row. Carlisle was stuck on 999 wins for a month. It was Jan. 8 when the streak was snapped and the celebration finally happened.
“It took way too long,” Siakam said. “Yeah, too long. I mean, I think it was great, obviously, because he’s an amazing coach. It’s a great honor for him. And again, we’ve been trying not to think about it too much, but obviously, we’ve lost a lot of games. There’s just too much losing for my liking and for the liking of the team. So, I’m glad that we got that out of the way and hopefully we don’t find ourselves in that situation ever again.”
The Pacers are 3-0 since that losing streak. Siakam — a champion with Toronto in 2019 — has no delusions about what the rest of the season may bring. Haliburton will be back next season and Indiana should be vastly improved. Siakam isn’t thinking about that yet, though. For now, it’s just about what happens each day, with this team, and this three-game streak is a reminder that work is paying off.
“Definitely one of the most challenging years for me, I think, on the court and also even emotionally,” Siakam said. “All I really want is to win. And I’ve been so used to being in a winning situation, so this situation, it’s hard. It’s tough.”
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