INDIANAPOLIS — The last six days have been a blur. Suitcases and airports. Departures and arrivals. Goodbyes and hellos.
There’s hardly been any time to sleep.
Not since Pascal Siakam became the centerpiece of one of the most pivotal decisions in Indiana Pacers history. If trading for Tyrese Haliburton, who has morphed into a superstar, was the move that reignited the franchise’s quest to become a real contender, trading for Siakam is the move that has fanned the flames.
The Pacers have never done this, relinquishing three-first round picks, Jordan Nwora and Bruce Brown — a championship-winning player — to build a championship roster of their own. They’re officially in uncharted territory and so is Siakam.
For the first 563 games (510 in the regular season, plus 53 in the playoffs) of his NBA career, his home was Toronto and his office was Scotiabank Arena. That changed on Jan. 17, when he was shipped to the Pacers.
“I thought I would be a Raptor forever,” Siakam said in a video he shared via social media shortly after he was traded.
Tuesday marked his third game in a Pacers jersey and the first at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. But before Siakam signed autographs for eager fans who bought his new jersey in the team store, and before his debut in front of a home crowd of 16,004, he sacrificed more sleep for solitude.
Less than 24 hours before his first Pacers home game, Siakam took a trip over to their empty arena. The rims hadn’t yet been raised in preparation for the game, but Siakam, who initially studied to become a priest before excelling in basketball, still had to feel the hardwood and “bless” the buckets he’d soon put on display.
“I’ve played here before, so I kind of know (what to expect), but I think there’s a different kind of perspective of everything,” Siakam said. “I just wanted to get that kind of feel of everything and just know where my new home was gonna be.”
The irony in Siakam’s message was that during his rookie season in 2016-17, he never played against the Pacers. Not in Indianapolis and not in Toronto. He was inactive for two of those games and was on the bench in the other. Back then, Siakam was a promising, yet raw, first-round pick from New Mexico State. He averaged about 16 minutes and 4.2 points in the 55 games he appeared.
On Tuesday, Siakam played 33 minutes and finished with 16 points on 7-of-16 shooting, 10 rebounds and four assists in a back-and-forth 114-109 loss to the defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets. Nikola Jokić, arguably the best player in the world, delivered the dagger 3-pointer that put Denver ahead by five points with 4.7 seconds left. But throughout the game, there were moments when Siakam, not Jokić, was the most impactful player on the floor.
“Unbelievable,” teammate T.J. McConnell said of Siakam’s performance through three games. “I’ve played against him for a number of years now. He just brings a different element and dynamic to our team. … We’re excited to have him and take this thing to the next level.”
Early on, Siakam imposed his will offensively, scoring 10 points in the first quarter. Two came at the free-throw line, while the other eight were the result of his extensive repertoire.
There was his signature midrange jumper over Aaron Gordon, when he used a shoulder bump to create just enough space to get the shot off. There was the transition layup on Gordon, when he lowered his shoulder into Gordon’s torso so Gordon couldn’t elevate to contest the shot. There was the step-back jumper over Michael Porter Jr., when he put just enough arc on the ball so Porter couldn’t use his 7-foot wingspan to swat it. There was the turnaround fadeaway over Reggie Jackson, when all Jackson could do was watch since, standing 6 foot 2, he was too short to make a difference against his 6-foot-8 opponent.
Pacers coach Rick Carlisle praised Siakam for his versatility and malleability, which serves as a glimpse into what the…
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