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Early data further confirms the Pacers were right to make Pascal Siakam trade

By Elie Deglaoui

Feb 14, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam (43) reacts after a scoring play against the Toronto Raptors in the second half at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
Feb 14, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam (43) reacts after a scoring play against the Toronto Raptors in the second half at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images / Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
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This past January, the Indiana Pacers made a blockbuster move by trading for Pascal Siakam from the Toronto Raptors. Siakam immediately elevated the Pacers, helping them make their first Eastern Conference Finals appearance in 10 years. Though he has yet to play a full season in Indiana, it is clear that Siakam is a perfect fit with the team.

The one-time NBA champion is the perfect complementary forward next to Myles Turner, and he is a great partner alongside Tyrese Haliburton. Additionally, his veteran presence and leadership make him just as valuable to the team off the court.

This past offseason, Siakam signed a four-year, $188.9 million deal that will keep him under contract through the 2027-28 season. While there is a chance this contract does not pan out in the long run, the Pacers easily made the right call acquiring him. Now, at the start of the 2024-25 campaign, the Pacers have made out even better in the trade than initially expected.

The 2024 NBA rookie class is off to a historically bad start

Many analysts criticized the 2024 NBA Draft class, calling it one of the worst ones we have seen in a long time. Much of this has to do with a lack of star power, though there are some solid prospects who were selected regardless.

An aspect of the Pacers' trade package for Siakam that is noteworthy is that they traded two first-round picks from this year's draft to Toronto. It is extremely early, but the early data suggests that the Pacers made the right call trading these picks instead of using them.

As Tom Haberstroh of Yahoo Sports writes, no rookie has scored at least 15 points in a game yet. Additionally, Cody Williams of the Utah Jazz is the only rookie to log at least 30 minutes in a game. No rookie has stood out so far, including popular Rookie of the Year candidates Reed Sheppard, Zach Edey, and the No. 1 overall pick, Zaccharie Risacher.

One of those picks ended up with the Jazz and became Isaiah Collier. The other one stayed with the Raptors, who used it on Ja'Kobe Walter. One week into the season, neither player has logged a minute on an NBA court yet due to injuries. They could still turn out to be incredible players (nobody is saying otherwise), but early on, it is looking like the Pacers got the better end of the deal in this aspect as well.

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