“I would like to thank the Raptors franchise… the Pacers.” The little slip of the tongue Pascal SiakamStates at the start of the press conferencewill be quickly forgotten, given the compliments he received from Kevin Pritchard and Rick Carlisle, president and coach of Indiana.
The three men were gathered to answer questions about the interior's four-year, $190 million contract extension. “This is a historic day: this is by far the biggest free agent signing in franchise history.”Rick Carlisle says bluntly.
When you listen to the player's words, it's clearly a love match. “The idea of change is really intimidating and scary to me. I think from the moment I arrived in Indiana, you made the transition very smooth.”he said to his two neighbors. “I really love everyone, the whole franchise. It made things so easy and simple for me, once I got here. It made me want to see what we could do collectively. I loved everything about it.”
“He was instrumental in our success”
The Pacers president imagined the arrival of the 2019 champion in December 2023, when his group reached the final of the mid-season tournament, against the Lakers. The Pacers were good, all they needed was a small piece to take a step forward.
“I remember talking to Chad Buchanan and Kelly Krauskopf, the GM and his assistant, and Ted Wu, the vice president. We weren't that far off. Maybe we need to be aggressive and go get a player that fits with what we do.”estimated Kevin Pritchard, who saw Pascal Siakam as ” the only one “ capable of being this providential player.
“I always had the feeling that he was very collective and that he had unique qualities, which I did not see in the league,” he continues. “When he gets the rebound and accelerates, he looks like a playmaker. I’ve never seen a player so relentless in attacking the rim, creating shots for himself or others. If you look at his decisions, 99% of the time, he makes the right choice. That’s unique for a player with his qualities. Honestly, one-on-one, I think he’s unstoppable.”
Arriving in Indiana in January, the former Toronto player quickly became his team's top scorer and was valuable in the playoffs, with his experience. He established himself as the leader of the Pacers, who failed in the conference finals, against the Celtics, future champions.
“His voice has become stronger and stronger and more present. He has been crucial to our success. He is someone truly special and a unique, truly unique player.”concludes his coach.
| Pascal Siakam | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | LF | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2016-17 | TOR | 55 | 16 | 50.2 | 14.3 | 68.8 | 1.2 | 2.2 | 3.4 | 0.3 | 2.0 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 4.2 |
| 2017-18 | TOR | 81 | 21 | 50.8 | 22.0 | 62.1 | 1.0 | 3.5 | 4.5 | 2.0 | 2.1 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 7.3 |
| 2018-19 | TOR | 80 | 32 | 54.9 | 36.9 | 78.5 | 1.6 | 5.3 | 6.9 | 3.1 | 3.0 | 0.9 | 1.9 | 0.7 | 16.9 |
| 2019-20 | TOR | 60 | 35 | 45.3 | 35.9 | 79.2 | 1.1 | 6.3 | 7.3 | 3.5 | 2.8 | 1.0 | 2.5 | 0.9 | 22.9 |
| 2020-21 | TOR | 56 | 36 | 45.5 | 29.7 | 82.7 | 1.7 | 5.5 | 7.2 | 4.5 | 3.1 | 1.1 | 2.3 | 0.7 | 21.4 |
| 2021-22 | TOR | 68 | 38 | 49.4 | 34.4 | 74.9 | 1.9 | 6.7 | 8.5 | 5.3 | 3.3 | 1.3 | 2.7 | 0.6 | 22.8 |
| 2022-23 | TOR | 71 | 37 | 48.0 | 32.4 | 77.4 | 1.9 | 6.0 | 7.8 | 5.9 | 3.2 | 0.9 | 2.4 | 0.5 | 24.2 |
| 2023-24 * | All Teams | 80 | 33 | 53.6 | 34.6 | 73.2 | 1.7 | 5.3 | 7.1 | 4.3 | 2.4 | 0.8 | 1.8 | 0.3 | 21.7 |
| 2023-24 * | IND | 41 | 32 | 54.9 | 38.6 | 69.9 | 2.1 | 5.7 | 7.8 | 3.7 | 2.6 | 0.8 | 1.4 | 0.4 | 21.3 |
| 2023-24 * | TOR | 39 | 35 | 52.2 | 31.7 | 75.8 | 1.4 | 4.9 | 6.3 | 4.9 | 2.2 | 0.8 | 2.1 | 0.3 | 22.2 |
| Total | 551 | 31 | 49.6 | 33.0 | 76.6 | 1.5 | 5.1 | 6.6 | 3.6 | 2.7 | 0.9 | 1.9 | 0.6 | 17.7 | |
How to read the stats? GM = Games Played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Shots Made / Shots Attempted; 3pts = 3-pointers / 3-pointers Attempted; LF = Free Throws Made / Free Throws Attempted; Off = Offensive Rebound; Def = Defensive Rebound; Tot = Total Rebounds; Pd = Assists; Fte: Personal Fouls; Int = Steals; Bp = Loose Balls; Ct: Blocks; Pts = Points.
