A little over a year ago, the Indiana Pacers won the Pascal Siakam sweepstakes and traded for him from the Toronto Raptors. At the time, many expected the trade to elevate the Pacers to another level, and it has so far. However, even many Pacers fans would say the Siakam acquisition has made a bigger immediate impact than they thought it would.
Siakam has been a great addition to the Pacers, even being the team's lone All-Star representative this season. However, the impact he has made right away has been tremendous. Most would say that the Pacers won the Siakam trade, but after the team's latest playoff victory over the Milwaukee Bucks, this is looking more like a fact, not an opinion.
The Pascal Siakam trade is still paying dividends for the Pacers
On Tuesday night, the Pacers defeated the Bucks in a wire-to-wire Game 2 victory to take a 2-0 series lead in the first round of the playoffs. There is still a lot of basketball left, and the series is not over yet, but things are looking good for the Pacers. A large reason for their recent success is Siakam, who provides value in each aspect of the game.
In the first two games of the Pacers' series against Milwaukee, the 31-year-old averaged 24.5 points, 9 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 2 steals. Additionally, he shot 58.1% from the field and 50% from the three-point line during those two games. As the Pacers aim to eliminate the Bucks in the first round once again and go on a deep playoff run, they will rely heavily on Siakam, who has done little wrong in Indiana up to this point.
Last year, the Pacers made their first conference finals appearance in a decade despite entering the postseason as the No. 6 seed. Furthermore, despite getting swept by the eventual champion Boston Celtics, the Pacers looked like they belonged and gave them a challenge. The Pacers may have still been a solid team even if they did not acquire Siakam, but it is fair to assume they would not have gone on the run they did without him.
Now in his first full season with the Pacers, Siakam is continuing to prove that the team made the right call by acquiring him. He is the perfect fit alongside Myles Turner and Tyrese Haliburton, and he is a key reason for their success. Additionally, the former champion raises the Pacers' ceiling and is a big reason they should be considered legitimate title contenders moving forward.
The Pacers are a team that can contend now and in the future, and a lot of that has to do with Siakam. Trading for him was a good decision at the time, and it has only aged well over the past year.