The Most Important Player for the Pacers in the NBA Finals
While many NBA fans and analysts may be centered around Pacers’ star Tyrese Haliburton heading into the NBA Finals, a teammate of Haliburton may be the key figure in determining the Pacers’ chances to win the title. That player is Pascal Siakam. A 31-year-old power forward and a three-time All-Star, Pascal was acquired by the Pacers from Toronto on January 17th, 2024. A good player in his own right but often overlooked by the NBA community, Pascal may be the difference between the Pacers winning the championship or losing it.
Arguably, the most important attribute that Pascal brings to these NBA Finals is experience, as he is currently the only player on the Pacers to have been to the NBA Finals and is joined by Alex Caruso as the only players to have been in the NBA Finals from either team. A leading contributor to the Raptors in winning their 2019 championship, Pascal has played in the biggest of moments under the biggest of lights whilst delivering good production on the court. This is technically something that his teammates, as well as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, and all of the stars in this series, can’t say they’ve done. With this experience, Pascal can be a calming voice in the locker room for his younger teammates who are experiencing these big moments for the first time. In an environment as big and chaotic as the NBA Finals, a composed, reassuring, veteran voice can instill confidence and stability to an entire locker room that will look to them for guidance. Remaining calm and being confident are vital in determining a team’s ability to win a seven-game series, as without these attributes, a team can become completely lost and overwhelmed by the moment.
Besides his experience, though, Pascal Siakam has also elevated his game as the NBA Playoffs have progressed, averaging roughly 25 points per game, up from his 20 points per game average during the regular season. This increase in points also includes dropping 30 or more points three times in the Pacers’ Eastern Conference Finals series against the Knicks. All three of these outings led to Pacers wins. In the games in which Pascal had less than 20 points, the Pacers lost two of the three games. These statistics show just how vital Pascal has become to the Pacers, as in the games in which he performs well, the team has always managed to earn a victory.
Against a very deep Oklahoma City Thunder team, a team in which virtually anyone at any time can pop off for a big game, the Pacers are going to need Pascal Siakam to show up on a nightly basis alongside Haliburton. This double threat may be able to offset the production of SGA and Jalen Williams and take defensive pressure off of the Pacers’ role players as well. This increase in production, coupled with his veteran presence, set up Pascal to be an extremely important figure for the Pacers in these NBA Finals. Could it be the key to the Pacers winning their first championship in their team’s history? Only time will tell.
