Pascal Siakam has long been one of the NBA's most underrated players. However, now that he has won the Larry Bird MVP Trophy after the Indiana Pacers' conference finals win over the New York Knicks, Siakam is continuing to prove just how great he is.
The Cameroon native has been crucial to Indiana's success since they acquired him from the Toronto Raptors over a year ago. Furthermore, Siakam was important to Toronto's NBA Finals win in 2019. Siakam is now entering the NBA Finals for the second time in his career, and each time he has been excellent.
Siakam is not likely to ever be in MVP discussions despite his talent and importance. However, the 31-year-old is now entering a new tier--one that could potentially be worthy of Hall of Fame consideration when he calls it a career.
Pascal Siakam could be a Hall of Famer once he retires
So far, Siakam has played nine seasons in the NBA between the Raptors and Pacers. During that stretch, he is a three-time All-Star, a two-time All-NBA selection, and a Most Improved Player Award recipient. Furthermore, he is now a one-time Eastern Conference Finals MVP and could be well on his way to becoming a two-time NBA Champion if all goes well for him and the Pacers this year.
There is no doubt that Siakam will have a tall task ahead of him to eventually become a Hall of Famer. According to Basketball Reference, he has just a 2.11% probability of getting inducted. This is lower than guys like Jalen Brunson (2.12%), Bradley Beal (2.26%), and DeAndre Jordan (3.74%). Regardless, Siakam still has plenty of basketball left to play in his career, and if the Pacers continue this trend, they will be in contention for a long time.
Regardless of whether Siakam will eventually be enough to earn himself a spot in Springfield, MA, he and the Pacers clearly have just one goal in mind, which is to win an NBA Championship for the first time in franchise history.
The Pacers will take on the league-leading Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Finals, and they will have a big challenge ahead of them. However, they have surprised the basketball world numerous times to get to this point, and there are legitimate reasons to believe they could do it again.
Indiana is just four wins away from winning it all, and a lot of that credit goes to Tyrese Haliburton, who has been exceptional since the team acquired him from the Sacramento Kings in 2022. However, it is fair to say they wouldn't be in this position without Siakam either, who may be just one step closer to reaching Hall of Fame status.