The Price of Greatness: What Three First-Round Picks Got the Pacers in Pascal Siakam

When the Indiana Pacers traded three first-round picks for Pascal Siakam in January, plenty of analysts raised eyebrows. They weren’t alone. Around the league, GMs quietly questioned the value of giving up multiple assets—two of them 2024 picks—for a player on an expiring deal. Now, with Indiana up 2-0 in the Eastern Conference Finals and Siakam playing the best basketball of his postseason career, the doubts are vanishing faster than defenders off his pump fake.

Let’s start with the numbers. Game 2 against the New York Knicks wasn’t just a good performance—it was a statement. Siakam torched the Knicks for 39 points on 15-of-23 shooting, including 3-of-5 from beyond the arc, while adding 5 rebounds and 3 assists. His +16 plus-minus was second-best on the team, and he did it all in just 33 minutes of action. From midrange footwork to aggressive rim attacks to knockdown perimeter shooting, Siakam had it all on full display.

And it wasn’t just the box score. From the opening quarter, Siakam dictated the tempo. He dropped 16 points in the first period alone, establishing himself early as the Pacers’ offensive anchor. When Myles Turner took over in the fourth with 13 of his 16 points, it was Siakam who had kept Indiana in the game long enough for that dagger stretch to matter.

The contrast with the Knicks was stark. New York leaned heavily on Jalen Brunson—who valiantly tried to will them back late—but the Pacers had options everywhere. Siakam, Turner, Haliburton, Nesmith, Nembhard, and McConnell have all shown they can deliver when it counts. But make no mistake: Pascal Siakam is the engine behind it all.

This postseason, Siakam has been nothing short of brilliant. Through 12 games, he's averaging 20.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 3.3 assists, while shooting 55.1% from the field and an eye-popping 43.9% from deep. His true shooting percentage sits at an elite 61.7%, and he’s the only Pacer averaging more than 20 points per game in the playoffs. Even more impressively, he's scored in double figures every single game and already notched six 20+ point outings—including that near-40 bomb in Game 2.

Advanced metrics paint an even clearer picture of his value. With Siakam on the floor, the Pacers have outscored opponents by 10.6 points per 100 possessions. Without him? They’re being outscored by 6.6. That’s a 17.2-point swing. His cumulative playoff plus-minus is +97—tied with Tyrese Haliburton for the highest on the team.

But Siakam's impact didn’t start in the postseason. He’s been the Pacers' most reliable force all year. In the regular season, he posted averages of 20.2 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 3.4 assists, while shooting 51.9% from the field and a career-high 38.9% from three. His 59.9% true shooting percentage was elite for a forward, and among all Pacers, he led in scoring and was second in minutes. Most importantly, the team simply won with him on the floor. Indiana’s net rating with Siakam was +5.5; without him, it dropped to -4.1.

Somehow, despite his consistent excellence, Siakam remained underrated all year. Much of the narrative around the Pacers focused on Haliburton, whose blistering start to the season eventually cooled due to injury and fatigue. Siakam, on the other hand, remained steady, efficient, and—most critically—available. He was named an All-Star for the third time, a nod to his impact and production, but even that didn’t quite reflect his value.

Looking back now, the trade feels like daylight robbery. Indiana parted with Bruce Brown, Jordan Nwora, and three first-round picks—two of them from a shallow 2024 class likely to land in the 20s. In return, they got a two-time All-Star in his prime, hungry to prove his worth on a new stage. And they didn’t stop there. The Pacers doubled down by handing Siakam a four-year, $190 million extension, banking on him as a foundational piece moving forward.

So far, that bet looks golden.

It’s not just the stats or the highlights. It’s the way Siakam has embraced his role in Indiana. No longer the solo star as he was in Toronto’s post-Kawhi years, he’s found balance alongside Haliburton and Turner, toggling between primary scorer and connective glue. He’s accepted defensive assignments, fought through contact in the paint, and made timely reads from the top of the key. He’s become exactly the kind of versatile, switchable forward modern playoff basketball demands.

And then there’s the history. His 39-point explosion in Game 2 wasn’t just his playoff career-high—it was also the highest individual scoring performance by a Pacer in this postseason. In just under two seasons with Indiana, Siakam has already posted three playoff games with 35+ points. Only two players in franchise history—Reggie Miller (11) and Paul George (4)—have more. That’s legendary company.

Let’s revisit the big picture. After two games in the Eastern Conference Finals, the Pacers are up 2-0 with both wins coming at Madison Square Garden. No team in NBA history has come back from an 0-2 deficit in the Conference Finals after losing the first two at home. The odds are now firmly in Indiana’s favor to reach the NBA Finals for the first time since 2000.

Make no mistake—this isn’t just Haliburton’s team, or Rick Carlisle’s masterpiece of rotation balance. It’s Pascal Siakam’s coming-out party on the national stage.

Back in January, people questioned if he was worth three first-round picks. That answer’s been given—emphatically, night after night, in the language of winning basketball.

Commentary:
In the postseason where legends are made and reputations crystallized, Pascal Siakam is writing a new chapter—one that few saw coming, but no one can deny. He’s not just fitting in with the Pacers; he’s elevating them, transforming what once looked like a promising project into a legitimate Finals contender.

He isn’t the flashiest. He won’t headline commercials. But when the lights are bright and possessions matter most, there’s a calm, confident figure on the floor—spinning, slashing, stretching defenses to their limits.

That’s the power of a player who understands his worth. That’s Pascal Siakam.