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0 Reports indicate that the Indiana Pacers have acquired Pascal Siakam, a mobile power forward from the Toronto Raptors, in exchange for a package that includes Bruce Brown and three first-round picks. Siakam, who is now 29 years old and a two-time All-Star, was the last player from the Raptors’ 2019 championship rotation. He is set to become an unrestricted free agent in July, but the Pacers are hoping that he can provide valuable contributions on both ends of the floor.
Siakam has been an impressive player over the last five seasons, with only three other players, namely Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic, and Jayson Tatum, averaging at least 20 points, six rebounds, and three assists over that span. It’s worth noting that Siakam’s usage rate this season is his lowest in the last five years, but his true shooting percentage has been his highest mark in that same stretch. He’s been assisted on 59.4% of his field goals, which is his highest rate in the last six seasons.
According to Second Spectrum tracking, Siakam ranks 15th with 253 total isolations this season. However, his isolations per 100 possessions have decreased from 12.5 last season to 9.1 this season, and he has been able to maintain an impressive rate of 1.13 points per possession when his isolations have led directly to a shot, trip to the line, or turnover. This ranks him 10th among 59 players with at least 100 such isolations.
Siakam has also been effective close to the basket with a career-best 61.6% shooting in the paint. However, his effective field goal percentage on shots from outside the paint is just 45.2%, which is below the league average of 52.1%. He has been able to shoot 45.2% on corner 3-pointers, but his above-the-break 3-pointers have not been as consistent, with just 26.2% accuracy. This season, his 31.7% from 3-point range ranks 168th among 186 players with at least 100 attempts. Defensively, Siakam has been a notable player in the past, helping the Raptors achieve three top-five defenses in recent years. However, this season, the Raptors have a bottom 10 defense, and while the team has allowed slightly fewer points per 100 possessions with Siakam on the floor, it’s not enough to make a significant difference. His deflections per 36 minutes this season are at a career-low of 1.5, down from 2.1 per 36 last season, and his steals (0.85) and blocks (0.27) per 36 minutes are also career-low marks. Opponents have shot 50.4% on shots he’s defended, with the difference between that and their expected field goal percentage on those shots (47.4%) being the worst mark of his career.
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