The Indiana Pacers don't have a lot to play for this season, but they still have a bright future ahead of them and should be title contenders again once Tyrese Haliburton returns. However, the Pacers still need to be smart this season, and that includes playing it as safe as possible with Pascal Siakam.
Recently, Caitlin Cooper of Basketball, She Wrote said that her top priority for the rest of the season is to protect Siakam. He is averaging 34 minutes per game at 31 years old while also being Indiana's most important player this season. Additionally, per StatMuse, his 28.7% usage rate this season is the highest of his career.
"To me, the No. 1 priority for the rest of the year has to be protecting [Pascal] Siakam, because, knock on wood, if something were to happen there, it would be a complete total disaster, really, really bad situation for this window of the team," Cooper said on the "Setting the Pace" podcast.
The Pacers can't take any risks with Pascal Siakam
Cooper is 100% right. Siakam isn't just the most important player on the Pacers' roster this season, but he is going to be the most important moving forward outside of Haliburton.
The Cameroon native is proving that he can still be a No. 1 option, and he is reminding the basketball world just how big of an impact he can still make.
Through 25 games this season, Siakam is averaging 23.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1.2 steals while shooting 47.6% from the field and 35.9% from deep. Additionally, he is leading the Pacers in points, rebounds, steals, minutes, and field goal attempts per game.
While he is playing great, it's not leading to a lot of team success as they are 6-20, which isn't his fault at all. If anything, the Pacers are struggling despite Siakam's performances.
Regardless, this season at this point is just about development and experimentation. That was likely the case going into the year as well, but there was at least a hope of potentially making a postseason appearance because of how talented the Pacers' roster still is. However, at this point, they have dealt with too many injuries and have dug themselves a deep hole they may not get out of.
Once Haliburton returns, Indiana should be able to re-establish itself as a title contender. Whether it happens right away or not remains to be seen, but there are reasons to believe the team can re-enter the championship picture as soon as next season, especially in a wide-open Eastern Conference.
However, for them to make some noise, they need a healthy Siakam. And given that this season isn't going to amount to much anyway, the Pacers need to play it safe with him by giving him rest, lowering his usage rate, etc.