Pascal Siakam isn’t buying the idea that the Pacers are suddenly a team everyone has circled.
If anything, he sounds fine with the opposite. Indiana wrapped up its final practice before the 2026-27 opener Tuesday, with the new season set to start Wednesday night at 8 p.m.
ET against the New Orleans Pelicans. And Siakam’s message was clear: the noise outside the building doesn’t matter much to him.
“I don't think nobody's talking about us, which is good,” Siakam said. “I don't think it's like we're used to it, right?
Like it's like, I don't know, you say an expectation, but for me I just feel like, yeah, people are counting us out, which is good for us. Keep working, put our heads down, and we know what we have.
And I think it's one thing to talk about it, and another thing to go out there on the floor and do it. So I think we focus on doing that part.”
That perspective comes after a rough year for Indiana. The Pacers finished 19-63 last season and landed 14th in the Eastern Conference, a season where Tyrese Haliburton missed the entire campaign with a torn right Achilles tendon. Siakam still put together a strong individual season, averaging 24.0 points in 62 games and earning his fourth All-Star selection.
Even with that production, he was slotted 27th on Bleacher Report’s list of the league’s best players heading into the new season.
Siakam sees a league that has changed around Indiana, too.
“Everyone in the league got better, East and West,” he said.
What has him most energized, though, is the chance to get Haliburton back on the floor. The Pacers’ rise with Haliburton steering the offense is the reason expectations ever climbed in the first place. Indiana reached the Eastern Conference finals in spring 2024 and then made the NBA Finals in 2025.
That run ended with heartbreak in Game 7 at Oklahoma City, where Haliburton went down in the first quarter and the Thunder finished off a 103-91 win.
For Siakam, simply having the point guard back changes everything.
“He's the point guard, our leader, get us in position to be successful,” Siakam explained. “And again, I think just more importantly for him, because I know it was a tough year.
So as a basketball person, I know how hard it is to not play. Obviously, I've never had something to his level in terms of injury.
But I know when you're out there with your teammates, you can't play. It's a hard thing.”
“So I'm just happy for him,” Siakam continued. “Happy to have him back playing the game.
I'm sure he's happier. I'm excited.
And we are for sure happy to have him back.”
Siakam’s own resume is already deep: a championship with Toronto in 2019, the NBA’s Most Improved Player that same season, and now 10 years of NBA production with career averages of 18.5 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.6 assists. He’s 32, and his contract runs through the 2027-28 season.
There’s also work still to be done on the defensive end, something the Pacers saw in their preseason finale Oct. 16.
Siakam poured in 24 points, with 22 of them coming in the second quarter, and he did it while making all eight shots he took in that frame. He finished 8-of-10 from the field and 5-of-7 from 3-point range in 20:54.
But Milwaukee also exposed some issues. The Bucks scored 35 points in the second quarter, owned the glass 18-8 in offensive rebounds, and turned that into a 23-6 advantage in second-chance points. Myles Turner, now with Milwaukee after spending his first 10 seasons in Indiana, grabbed 13 rebounds and blocked three shots.
Assistant coach Lloyd Pierce, who ran the bench that night, said the Pacers were undisciplined late in the second quarter and gave up the strong-side corner a couple of times.
Siakam said the group knows it still has room to grow on that end.
“We got guys that can defend, and we have to continue to establish our defense identity, what we want to do,” Siakam said. “And I think from the time I came here, I've seen our defense grow every single year.
Obviously, last year was a hard season. But the things that we were able to do on defense, I feel like we have a long way to go.
But there's a lot of improvement.”
In Other News...
Pacers Open The Season With A Problem They Didn't Want
The Pacers head into their season opener already having to reshuffle the rotation, and the timing could not be much worse. Aaron Nesmith has been ruled out with a left hamstring strain, leaving Indiana without its starting small forward as it tries to get the new season moving in the right direction. His absence hands Kelly Oubre Jr. a chance to step into the lineup, while the injury also nudges the coaching staff toward more minutes for the wing depth behind him.
There is more uncertainty in the backcourt, too, with T.J. McConnell still sidelined by a right hamstring strain. For a team that leans on pace, pressure and energy, losing two rotation pieces before the first game is a frustrating start, especially when the bench is supposed to help stabilize things early. Jarace Walker and Ben Sheppard are among the players who could be asked to pick up some of the slack, and the opening stretch now comes with an immediate test of Indiana's depth. [Read more 🡒]
Pacers Trade Buzz Hints At A Bigger Plan Around Haliburton
The Pacers offseason chatter has started to sharpen around the idea that the front office is looking for more than just a bounce-back year. Bleacher Reports Dan Favale recently named three possible trade targets for Indiana in Yves Missi, Jaylin Williams and Jordan Walsh, a list that points to the kind of roster-building decisions the team may be weighing as it tries to keep pace in a crowded East.
A healthy Tyrese Haliburton changes the conversation almost immediately. Indiana is expected to take a step forward with Haliburton back from injury, and the projections reflect a team that could win a lot of games if the supporting cast fits properly around him. Haliburton already signed his five-year extension in 2023, so the long-term plan is clear enough - now the interesting part is whether the Pacers use trade talks to accelerate it. [Read more 🡒]
Pacers Suddenly Face A T.J. McConnell Concern They Can't Ignore
T.J. McConnells availability has suddenly become an early Pacers concern, with the veteran guard expected to miss the first game of the season because of a hamstring strain. For a team that leans on his pace, energy and steadying presence, the timing is hard to ignore, especially with the regular season just getting underway and the point guard room looking thinner than usual.
McConnells value has always come from the same relentless style that has helped him last this long, even as he enters his mid-30s and continues to battle the wear that comes with playing that way. The bigger question now is not just how long he sits, but what Indiana does if this becomes more than a short-term issue, because there isnt a clear like-for-like answer waiting behind him. [Read more 🡒]