Pascal Siakam ‘paid dues’ with Raptors; now Pacers are investing in self-made star

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 future could hold for his new team thanks to the dedication Siakam had with his old one.

He didn’t enter the NBA as a star or champion. But he worked, humbly and tirelessly, to become both.

First in the D-League (now the G League), earning the finals MVP during the Raptor 905’s championship run in his rookie season. Then in the NBA two seasons later, emerging as the second-leading scorer during the Raptors’ lone NBA championship run in 2018-19.

“I love the fact that he’s paid dues. It just didn’t get handed to him,” Carlisle said. “He’s had to earn it in his career. He’s earned his way to becoming a multiple All-Star, a multiple all-league player and it’s how we’re doing things here.

“Our young players are having to earn their way. They’re not being given anything. It’s the only way to do things, in my opinion. If you want to build championship habits, you’ve gotta do it on a merit-based, accountability type of basis.”

Carlisle was ejected in the third quarter for arguing with the officials after Siakam spun into the lane, absorbed contact from Denver’s Kentavious Caldwell-Pope while shooting and didn’t get a foul call. Caldwell-Pope drilled a go-ahead 3-pointer on the other end, and Carlisle let loose. His two technical fouls resulted in two made free throws by Caldwell-Pope that gave the Nuggets a three-point lead that ballooned to 13 points early in the final frame.

But the Pacers wouldn’t roll over. An 11-point fourth quarter from McConnell, a clutch layup and 3-pointer from rookie Ben Sheppard, and Siakam’s two-way presence had the defending NBA champs on the ropes, even as the Pacers played without Haliburton, who will miss at least two more games because of his left hamstring injury.

With a little more than four minutes left and the Pacers trailing by two points, Siakam used his size and lateral quickness to keep Jamal Murray in front of him and force a shot clock violation. On the ensuing Pacers possession, Aaron Nesmith scored the game-tying layup.

“That’s elite,” McConnell said of Siakam’s disruption of Murray. ” … He has the ability to take our defense to another level.”

Murray and Jokić eventually got the last laugh, each scoring 31 points, as the Pacers’ offense sputtered down the stretch. Siakam was frequently double-teamed in the last few minutes, and while he successfully countered by passing to an open shooter, his team couldn’t convert. Indiana was 2 of 8 on 3-pointers in the fourth quarter en route to its third straight loss.

Siakam, yet to be victorious as a Pacers player, said he already trusts his teammates in those situations and would trust them again. He understands, perhaps more than anyone on Indiana’s roster, that winning isn’t always a pretty and linear process.

It can’t be bought overnight with one trade. It must be built over many nights with dedication.

After finally being in the same city for a few days during Indiana’s four-game homestand, he plans to catch up on sleep and then get right back to work in hopes of lifting his new team to new heights.

“Obviously, it’s tough because the days are not stopping and the games are just coming at you,” Siakam said of adjusting after a trade. “It’s hard to sit back and really think about it. … But I’m grateful. I’m grateful for my journey and where I’ve been and where I come from. I think there’s a lot of great things ahead.”

(Photo of Pascal Siakam: Ron Hoskins / NBAE via Getty Images)