INDIANAPOLIS — Pascal Siakam will be an All-Star for the third time and his first as a member of the Indiana Pacers.
The 6-8 power forward — acquired by the Pacers last January from Toronto after earning two All-Star trips, two All-NBA nods and an NBA championship ring with the Raptors — was one of seven players named Eastern Conference All-Star reserves on Thursday night through a vote of league coaches. The All-Star Game — which this season will be a mini-tournament — will be held at 8 p.m., ET on Feb. 16 at the Golden State Warriors’ Chase Center in San Francisco and televised on TNT.
When asked about the possibility of making the team on Wednesday after a season-high 37 points in the Pacers’ win over the Pistons, he said it would be particularly rewarding because it would allow him to represent his new franchise on the All-Star stage for the first time.
“The support that I’ve had since I’ve been here has been amazing,” Siakam said. “I don’t think I’ve ever had an organization show so much support from the top to the bottom. It’s been awesome. I’ve been grateful for it and it would mean a lot to represent the Pacers out there on All-Star weekend.”
Siakam has been the Pacers’ most consistent player since he was acquired. Last season he led the Pacers in scoring in the 41 regular season games after he was acquired with 21.3 points per game, then led them in scoring in the playoffs during their Eastern Conference finals run with 21.6 points per game.
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This year, he’s leading them with 20.2 points per game in one of the most efficient seasons of his career, shooting 52.6% from the floor and a career-best 41.3% from 3-point range. His .585 effective field goal percentage is the second best of his career behind the 2018-19 season when he posted a .591 mark and won Most Improved Player honors while helping the Raptors claim the NBA title. He also leads the Pacers in rebounding with 7.4 per game and ranks fourth in assists with 3.4 per game behind only Tyrese Haliburton, T.J. McConnell and Andrew Nembhard, all point guards by trade. He’s also fourth on the team in total steals with 41 and has been a key piece to the Pacers’ swiftly improving defense. He ranks third among Pacers regulars and second to Nembhard among starters in defensive rating at 109.0.
The Pacers leaned heavily on Siakam in their first 25 games, especially with Haliburton in a shooting slump. They started 10-15, but they are 16-5 since and they won 10 of their 12 games in the month of January. At 26-20, they are in fifth place in the Eastern Conference, three ahead of the sixth-place Magic and just a half-game behind the fourth-place Bucks.
“Pascal’s been one of the most consistent players all year long,” Carlisle said. “He’s a 20 and 8 guy every single night.”
This will be Siakam’s first All-Star appearance since 2023. He was also an All-Star in 2020.
This is the third straight year the Pacers have put a player in the All-Star game. Point guard Tyrese Haliburton was named to the team the last two seasons, though he missed inclusion this year after a tough start to his season.
Siakam was joined on the Eastern Conference reserves by Boston forward Jaylen Brown, Bucks guard Damian Lillard, Cleveland forward Evan Mobley and guard Darius Garland, Heat guard Tyer Herro and Pistons guard Cade Cunningham. The starters, announced last week, are Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell, Celtics forward Jayson Tatum, Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo and Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns.
The Indiana Pacers’ forward Pascal Siakam has been named to his third NBA All-Star Game. Siakam, who was previously selected as an All-Star in 2020 and 2021, has once again proven himself as one of the top players in the league.
Siakam has been a key contributor for the Pacers this season, averaging 21.4 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game. His versatility on both ends of the court has been instrumental in helping the team compete at a high level.
Pacers fans can look forward to seeing Siakam represent their team on the big stage once again as he takes part in the All-Star Game festivities. Congratulations to Pascal Siakam on this well-deserved honor! #Pacers #NBAAllStar
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