With Tyrese Haliburton on the shelf for all of next season, the Indiana Pacers are going to need as much help on offense as possible, and they may not need to look any further than Pascal Siakam, who should be in line for a bigger role with the team.
Ever since the Pacers acquired him in 2024, Siakam has been a huge contributor for the team and has played a crucial role in their success. Not that it was much of a debate at the time, but trading for Siakam has paid dividends for Indiana, and doing so helped move them into legitimate championship contender territory.
Despite the Cameroon native's value to the team, Pacers fans have yet to see the best version of him, though that should change next season.
The Pacers need Pascal Siakam to score more
If the Pacers want to remain competitive even without their star guard for a season, they will need everybody to step up, and that includes Siakam.
Siakam will now be an even bigger part of Indiana's offense than he already was, and the team will need him to score more now that he is even more of a focal point.
Recently, ESPN's Brian Windhorst spoke about what the Pacers will need from the one-time NBA Champion if they want to stay afloat and have an opportunity to make some noise in a wide-open Eastern Conference (h/t Brian Windhorst of ESPN).
"He's had a somewhat limited role in their offense since he got there," Windhorst said about Siakam. He scored more when he was in Toronto. He's sort of been more of a middle man at times. They don't run as much stuff for him...He could score a little bit more, and they're going to need it."
With Andrew Nembhard now running the point for a year instead of Haliburton, the Pacers' offense will likely look very different. In any case, the team will still rely heavily on Siakam to make an impact offensively. He was already one of Indiana's most important players, but his contributions next season will be the most important of his Pacers tenure up to this point.
As it stands, many are expecting the Pacers to have a down year. Not only is Haliburton going to miss the entire season, but they will also need to figure out their center situation now that Myles Turner is a member of the Milwaukee Bucks. However, despite their situation, the Pacers have not given any indication that they are going to tank, and they will still aim to be at least a playoff team once again.
Another NBA Finals appearance will be incredibly unlikely for Indiana next season, but they still have a lot going well for them. The Pacers have a chance to shock the basketball world again and prove that they are still a team to keep an eye on, even given their situation. However, for the team to have any chance of making this happen, they need to adjust properly, and it all starts with Siakam being a much more aggressive scorer.