Pascal Siakam's comments about the Pacers will get fans amped up

Pascal Siakam has only been with the Indiana Pacers for eight months, but you would think he's been with the team for years based on how he has embraced the team.

For the past month, Siakam has posted pictures and clips of offseason workouts he has had either alone or with other Pacers. He calls these workouts the "Pre-season Sessions." Additionally, Siakam has another series called "Leadership," where he speaks about embracing his role as a veteran leader on the Pacers.

In a recent social media post, the 30-year-old spoke about the Pacers' outlook for the 2024-25 season and the lack of respect they have received from the media and general public.

Siakam made it clear that he and the team "have to go and take [respect]" from the outsiders with another successful campaign next year.

"We're not the sexy team; we always got something to prove. I don't want to put a ceiling on anything that we can accomplish... People are not going to give you their props; you have to go and take it," Siakam said.

Pascal Siakam says the team will have to earn their respect next season

Last season, the Pacers had their most sucessful campaign in a decade. They ended the regular season with a 47-35 record, their best since the 2018-19 season, and they made the playoffs for the first time since 2020.

Most importantly, despite entering this year's playoffs as the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference, the Pacers made an appearance in the conference finals for the first time since 2014. Though they ultimately lost to the eventual champion Boston Celtics in a four-game sweep, the Pacers proved they are not a team to sleep on.

However, despite their successful run, the Pacers have yet to get their flowers. When discussing potential candidates to represent the East in next year's NBA Finals, the Pacers are nowhere to be found in those conversations.

Most people talk about the Celtics, New York Knicks, and Philadelphia 76ers instead. These teams are fair. However, many also consider the Milwaukee Bucks, Orlando Magic, and Cleveland Cavaliers as teams with a better chance to make it to the NBA Finals than the Pacers, who are fresh off a conference run.

In August, Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton spoke about constantly proving his doubters wrong. Like Siakam, Haliburton talked about the importance of winning in order to gain respect as a team.

“All I keep seeing is, 'Who's going to win the East? Boston, Milwaukee, New York, or Philly?'” Haliburton says. “It's like, what are we doing [not being included]? But again, we're Indiana, people didn't even know, people didn't even watch us play until the playoffs. People didn't watch us play until the second round," Haliburton said.

"But again, that respect comes with winning. So if we want to gain that respect, we just got to keep having success as a team. And it's coming.”

Pacers training camp begins in a little over a week on October 1. For the first time in a long time, there is genuine excitement in Indiana to see what the team can accomplish next season. It is even more exciting given that Siakam and Haliburton seem to be on the same page when it comes to having to earn the respect they feel they deserve.