(Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
The Indiana Pacers are already down their best scorer.
Bennedict Mathurin has been out for a while, and he’s not coming back this season.
Tyrese Haliburton also couldn’t keep the pace up from his early-season explosion, so they clearly need Pascal Siakam to step up.
The former Toronto Raptors star hit the ground running in the series vs. the Milwaukee Bucks, dominating in the first couple of contests.
Unfortunately, he fell off badly in the past three games.
As shown by ClutchPoints on Twitter, Siakam’s averages from the first two games went down from 36 points and 12 rebounds per game on 65% shooting all the way to just 14 points and 7.3 boards per game on 42% from the floor.
Pascal Siakam in the Pacers-Bucks series:
First 2 games: Last 3 games:
36.5 PPG 14.0 PPG
12.0 RPG 7.3 RPG
65% FG 42% FG pic.twitter.com/HEdHG5mR4v
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) May 1, 2024
The Pacers felt like Siakam was the veteran two-way presence they needed to make a big splash in the postseason, and he certainly has that potential.
He does way more than just score, and his impact on both ends of the floor doesn’t go unnoticed, even when his shot isn’t falling.
But the Pacers are going against a championship-caliber team in the Bucks, and they missed the perfect opportunity to close them out and get some rest ahead of the next series.
Should they win this series, the Pacers would be in for a tough matchup against either the New York Knicks or Philadelphia 76ers.
That sets the table for a physical battle down low, and, once again, they would need Siakam to be aggressive and efficient to stand a chance against their hard-nosed backcourts.
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