The Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder will meet up in the 2025 NBA Finals in what should be an exciting matchup. For most on both teams, this is their first rodeo. However, Pascal Siakam, who won a ring with the Toronto Raptors in 2019, has experience being a co-star on a championship-winning team, which bodes well for Indiana.
From Oklahoma City's side, only Alex Caruso has a championship, which he won with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020. However, Caruso was just a role player with the Lakers at the time and was not one of their most important players en route to a championship. He still played a role, but he was far from a co-star like Siakam was in Toronto.
Siakam's perspective, as well as how often he has come up in big games for the Pacers in the playoffs (especially this year on his way to winning the Larry Bird MVP trophy), makes him the ultimate game-changer and gives Indiana a unique advantage in the series.
Pascal Siakam has been great in the playoffs so far
Through 16 games in the playoffs so far, Siakam is averaging 21.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.1 steals. Additionally, he has shot 53.7% from the field and 46.3% from the three-point line during that stretch. While he has been mostly solid this entire postseason, the Cameroon native truly stood out against the New York Knicks in the conference finals, and he and the Pacers will hope that that momentum carries over against the Thunder.
Against the Knicks, Siakam averaged 24.8 points, 5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.3 steals while shooting 52.4% from the field and 50% from beyond the arc. Additionally, he scored 30 or more points in three games in the conference finals, including Indiana's series-clinching Game 6 victory.
Siakam has been crucial to the Pacers' success since the team acquired him from the Raptors last year. He was their lone All-Star this past season, and he usually shows up when the team needs him the most. It is safe to say he is not the Pacers' best player, as that title may go to Tyrese Haliburton, but there is no doubt he is one of their most valuable players.
As the Pacers look to win their first NBA Championship in franchise history, they will continue to rely on Siakam, whose previous experience makes him a unique weapon that the Thunder may not be able to neutralize.