Pascal Siakam has remained a steady source for production this playoffs, averaging 21.1 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists.
The Eastern Conference playoffs began with the Celtics and Cavaliers being the favorites to advance to the NBA Finals. However, it is the Pacers who emerged from the fray to make their first NBA Finals appearance since 2000. Helping them get there has been Pascal Siakam, who was named MVP of the Eastern Conference Finals.
Early Pacers days
The Pacers made a splash during the 2023-24 season, acquiring Siakam in a trade with the Raptors. He made two All-Star teams while playing for the Raptors, and he won a title with the team during the 2018-19 season. That same season, he won the Kia Most Improved Player award.
In his first full season with the Pacers, Siakam averaged 20.2 points, 6.9 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.6 3-pointers per game this season. He was an efficient scorer, shooting 51.9% from the field and a career high 38.9% from behind the arc. It marked the sixth straight season in which he averaged at least 20 points per game. He was also elected to his third career All-Star team.
Siakam has continued to score in bunches with the Pacers, but his average of 3.4 assists per game broke a streak of four straight seasons in which he averaged at least 4.3 assists. In two of those seasons, he averaged at least 5.3 assists. He is now playing alongside one of the best point guards in the league in Tyrese Haliburton, who has the ball in his hands a ton. That could continue to limit Siakam’s assists upside.
2025 playoff run
Siakam has remained a steady source for production in the playoffs, averaging 21.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.6 3-pointers over 16 games. Facing some of the best defenses in the league, he has shot 53.7% from the field and a staggering 46.3% from behind the arc. The one downside has been him shooting 66.7% from the charity stripe. For his career, he has shot 77.2% from the free-throw line.
It took six games for the Pacers to dispatch the Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals. Siakam scored at least 30 points in three of them and shot 52.4% from the field in the series. He also chipped in averages of 5.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.7 3-pointers in the series to edge out Haliburton for the MVP award.
2025-26 fantasy outlook
When the Pacers acquired Siakam from the Raptors, they signed him to a contract extension that keeps him with the team through the 2027-28 season. He had an ADP of 36 entering this season and came through for fantasy managers who drafted him. Not only did he contribute in multiple categories, but he also played 78 games. That marked the third straight season in which Siakam played at least 71 games. He has also played at least 80 games in a season three times during his career.
Playing alongside Haliburton will likely continue to put a damper on his assist numbers, but Siakam has a high floor that should make him worth another early-round selection during fantasy drafts next season.
