The Pascal Siakam Trade is Perfect for the Pacers

The Pascal Siakam Trade is Perfect for the Pacers

The Pacers just traded for Pascal cakam and depending on who you ask they might tell you that this addition doesn’t move the needle at all I’m on the other side of things I think he’s a perfect fit exactly what they’ve been needing at the four next to guys like Miles Turner and

Tyrese halberton people are really understating just how much he can push the team forward when you talk about the Pacers the first thing you have to mention is well their Pace they are the definition of a runand gun offense looking to Sprint down the floor at quite literally every single opportunity

Seak fits right into this his unique blend of length and athleticism makes him one of the deadliest fast break weapons in the NBA currently 11th in the league at just under six points a game in transition just as a reference Indiana as a team leads the league at

Over 27 transition points a game but their attack is real well-rounded they of course have halberton leading the charge surrounded by streaking Shooters such as buddy hee or Aaron nemith and athletic finisher like Obi toppen but they don’t have any singular guy in the top 30 in transition scoring

So adding a big time open floor threat like SE yakum just takes this to an entirely different level it isn’t just fast breaks where they like to speed things up though even after made baskets they get into their offense as quickly as possible basically a more modernized

Version of the 7 seconds or less Suns that took the league by storm that speed makes it way harder for the defense to properly set so you’ll have a lot of plays like this where toppen catches the ball with a driving lane to instantly attack and all it takes is one dribble

For him to set up a dunk siakam’s going to have more opportunities to drive in early offense against scrambling defenses than he’s ever had and he’s truly a devastating presence to deal with when attacking downhill I mentioned his length the dude’s got a 7’3 wingspan which gives him access to angles as a

Finisher that other players simply don’t have it also means that he doesn’t have to completely break down a Defender to create a good opportunity all he needs is half a step by his Defender and that outstretched arm will take care of the rest here’s another example it starts

With a ball screen that he rejects and as soon as he gets that right foot by kuzma’s hip he’s already won the advantage from there it’s just two lengthy strides and he’s got a wide open layup to weaponize his length even more you’ll often see him go to these spins

Just look at how much space he’s able to carve out with one simple move that takes him all the way to the front of the basket for an easy push shot and he pairs that combination of length and athleticism with a pretty Advanced handle starting his attack by by going

Between his legs both ways then hesitating into a drive left before immediately spinning back to his right and all that’s to say it’s really hard to keep him out of the paint those spin moves are also his go-to counter for when his initial driving lane gets taken

Away this time you’re going to see assar Thompson cut him off and with a little shoulder bump to set up that spin he instantly creates at least 2 ft of space leaving him with a great look at the basket and here’s a real similar play that starts with the shoulder bump and

Spin but this time he’s met by a second Defender to which he counters by dropping it off to the big man for an open dunk now feels like a pretty good time to mention that he’s a really good passer one of the best at his position and this adds a layer to Indiana’s

Offense that didn’t exist before typically when halberton on the floor he’s surrounded by guys who are exclusively looking to finish plays or get to their own shot I already mentioned healed n Smith and toppen you’ve also got Matan Turner Jaylen Smith none of these guys are Playmakers

The roster really only has two other passers nard and McConnell who don’t always share the floor with Tyrese instead replacing him and running the bench units so having a guy in SE yakum who can not only get into the paint consistently but also make a wide variety of quality passes can really

Stress defenses and unlock some more stuff for halberton away from the ball like his lights out spot up shooting it also gives them another option to run the ball screen game which they love going to in the half court of course he’s a big threat to turn the corner on

Drives but as soon as that big steps up to slow his momentum he’s dumping it to the roller for some easy offense to keep him from getting into the defense like that sometimes you’ll see teams throw a more aggressive coverage at him like a blitz but remember he’s got the passing

Ability to consistently create advantages for his team to attack and when he’s played in drop coverage like this one against the Pacers I mentioned how hard it is to keep him from touching the paint this time his screener pops into a wideopen three a pretty good example of why sakam said that Miles

Turner was second on his dream teammate list it isn’t just ball screens though he also brings a perimeter isolation presence because of how good he is at getting downhill which of course puts the defense in rotation and results in open threes for the guys around him remember Indiana has way more shooting

So this is only Amplified Tano hadn’t really surrounded him with great spacing but whenever he did find a lot of room to operate it was clear how physically overwhelming he can be this time using his inside shoulder to bump his Defender and set up a finish

He’s amazing at using his body to create space like that here’s one where he drives Baseline and from this Frame right here it looks like there’s no possible angle for him to attack but by taking a power dribble into Mo’s chest he finds himself an opportunity to lay

It in the way he initiates plays through and finishes around the basket with added contact helps him generate a decent amount of free throws which is a big addition before the trade the Pacers didn’t have a single guy averaging more than 4 and 1 half free throw attempts

Siakam’s been over five for half a decade peing last season at almost seven you’ll also see him use those shoulder bumps and contact as a way to set up his mid-range game here the paint is packed and his Lane gets taken away but he’s still able to find some good offense

Over the top remember those bump spins I just talked about he can throw those straight straight into jumpers again look at how much space he created with that simple move and the ability to score from a touch further over defenders has helped him operate with a

Lack of spacing for years now you’ve got three Defenders touching the paint when he starts his drive and with no path to the rim he bumps his man steps back and Rises up for a jumper compare that to a possession from the Pacers the positioning is way different one side of

The floor is cleared they’ve got two Shooters lifted up top so when n Smith gets to the Lane he really only has one man to beat so far this season SE yakum shooting almost 48% on a great volume of mid-range shots a pretty decent Mark and that’s something I’d expect to look even

Better with his new Squad and I think Indiana can really benefit from adding his versatile perimeter creation they’re essentially just replacing Bruce Brown in the lineup and getting a big athletic forward who can get to the rim score from the mid-range at a high level or

Create for others in both the half court and transition with that said though I actually think it’s siakam’s game from inside the ark that makes this trade really interesting more specifically his ability to operate out of the post you’ll often see him set up near the

Baseline so that he can get into some quick scoring moves right off the catch or these post-ups could be used as a way to attack switches or punish mismatches sealing off position deep in the lane and just using his size to get a bucket it’s not just smaller guys he’ll go to

Work against though this time it’s Grant Williams a literal brick wall and he’s still able to get in close before turning over his left shoulder for a little push shot and here’s one against the big man rwn Holmes notice how Holmes overplays the middle taking away that

Left shoulder turn so he instead turns right for an easy lay the big key here is that he can spin in either direction which makes him pretty unpredictable with his back to the basket although I will say his go-to seems to be this fallway jumper over the right and of

Course as soon as some extra help or a double team comes he’s surveying the floor and punishing the defense as a playmaker the reason I think this aspect of siakam’s game is so important to the trade is because Miles Turner is the only other guy on the team who can

Really post up but it’s a lot different they aren’t running the offense through him in these spots rather capitalizing on advantages or switches with seals in the middle for quick scoring moves over the top in the case of Pascal we’re talking about a legitimate source of creation bringing an inside out Dynamic

To the table that Indiana hasn’t really had since the bonus we know Rick Carlile loves running his Shooters off of screens so maybe they can Implement some sort of split actions or back picks out of these post-ups the overall point just being that it’s another Avenue for them

To explore still though you can’t expect them to go away from what’s helped them become the most efficient offense in NBA history and in the half court that typically means lots of ball screens for halberton whether it’s a pick and roll a pick and pop a quick screen for him to

Pull up for three whatever the case may be that’s pretty much the staple of their attack and it calls him to question where cakam fits the reason I say that is he’s not a good three-point shooter I’m not going to sit here and act like he’s some disastrously bad

Shooter who completely tanks the spacing but he’s certainly not a guy who you want launching a bunch of catch and shoot threes so if the Pacers go to a spread pick and roll setup what’s the best way to utilize him I’d expect him to spend most of his time operating

Along the Baseline he’s got really good feel for moving without the ball and filling out space like this play where he sneaks right behind the defense for an easy catch and finish down low this time you’re going to see the Raptors playing against a Zone and just watch

Zakum he knows when and where to move so that he can properly space the floor and when bue cuts through that’s his QE to clear out to the corner I know I said he’s not a great shooter but he’s by far at his best from three in the corners so

It’s not too bad of an opportunity at all the big draw to having him on the Baseline though is the size and finishing ability in the dunker spot he’s someone who demands attention and like I said he knows how to move as soon as OG starts his Drive notice how he

Repositions himself to create an easier passing angle and from there the defense can’t really do much in these spots he’s not just a threat to finish plays but also extend them by getting on the glass for Second Chance offense that’s another thing Indie doesn’t have much of so

Another key addition I also think there’s an interesting wrinkle for when they go to their High pick and roll game and that’s the fact that se yakum can be the screener remember Indie starts a stretch five who can space the floor and Pascal’s got phenomenal instincts for

Slipping the screen where he’s just so tough to stop as a roller if the defense plays a more aggressive coverage against what would be Tyrese halberton it’ll require a third Defender to take away his downhill momentum but that’s when the passing comes into play capable of making highlevel reads in the short role

All that’s to say there’s a lot to love on the offensive side of things you’re taking a generational transition offense and adding an elite transition player you’re taking the League’s best paint scoring team and adding a highlevel versatile paint scorer there are ways he can Elevate halton’s game both on and

Off the ball he fills a few gaps for them with his ability to draw foul get on the offensive glass and of course make plays for others dare I say it’s a match made in heaven but what about the defense I’ll keep this portion really Frank I compared the Pacers to Mike

Danton’s Sons they’ve also adopted the strategy of trying to win games by just simply outgunning teams which has led to a bottom five defense now I think it goes without saying that taking a bottom five defense and making them competent requires either a complete GameChanger think ad go bear or a complete overhaul

Of the rotation putting more of an emphasis on that side of the ball so expecting SE yakum to make a huge difference just isn’t all that realistic with that said I do think he’s an upgrade in some capacity I wouldn’t say he’s still the level of Defender he was

Back in 2019 or 2020 but he’s got some nice tools the length and his ability to move are are the big Keys he’s someone who can execute a lot of different coverages or rolls on the floor you need him to switch defend the pick and roll

Tag someone down low and recover to the perimeter he can do these things pretty well he’s not a huge presence around the rim but is still a body so it’s not like he’s losing any value for the team there and he’s a solid rebounder I actually

Want to focus on that point because the Pacers are an awful rebounding team they have one guy averaging more than six rebounds Turner at seven they’re 29th in rebounds per game 28th on the defensive side basically when it comes to any metric of closing possessions they suck

SE yakum isn’t Dennis robman but over the last three seasons he’s been at just under eight rebounds a game which can go a long way when your squad can’t grab any so there are some defensive traits he brings to the table that can be valuable I only have one concern and

It’s a a pretty big one the motor and the buyin will he do all of these things to the best of his ability only time will tell but if he does we’re looking at a solid playoff team in the Pacers that just got better on both ends of the

Floor on offense alone he’s good enough to compete for an All-Star team and he fits with the Pacers in more ways than one so adding that to the League’s best offense can have a pretty nice effect and on defense they’re getting a versatile four next to Turner that they

Really have never had if you’re an overthinker I’ll put it into simpler terms for you the Pacers were already good they added a guy who’s made two all-nba teams and is still in the heart of his prime to pair with their Superstar point guard and the fit makes

Sense I’m not sure just how good they’ll be but I can’t wait to see them on the court and in action especially when the playoffs roll around if you enjoyed this breakdown make sure to drop a like subscribe and turn my post notifications on to be first on more content if you’re

Interested in my more in-depth research make sure to check out my website and social media profiles you can find those links in the description feel free to let me know down in the comments what you think of the trade as always I hope you all have a great day and I’ll catch

You guys in the next one

The Pacers just traded for Pascal Siakam, and his game is a perfect fit on both ends of the floor, really pushing the team to another level.

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