Pascal Siakam keeps getting treated like a guy who belongs a tier below the league’s elite power forwards, and that doesn’t line up with what he actually brings when games tighten up.
A recent HoopsHype ranking slotted Siakam eighth among NBA power forwards, placing him behind Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jalen Johnson, Scottie Barnes, Evan Mobley, LeBron James, Paolo Banchero and Zion Williamson. On paper, there’s room to argue for some of those names if the conversation is about pure talent, upside or who you’d want over the next five years.
But the real question is different: if a playoff series started tomorrow, how many of those players would you honestly choose over Siakam?
Antetokounmpo is the clear answer at the top. After that, Siakam has a case against everybody else on the list.
Williamson is the easiest one to question. His talent has never been in doubt, but availability has defined his career, and New Orleans hasn’t done much with him as the centerpiece.
Siakam, by contrast, has shown he can handle the demands of a full season and the postseason grind. He won a championship in Toronto and later became a key part of Indiana’s rise into contender status.
That matters.
Banchero brings serious offensive juice, but the game doesn’t stop on one end. Siakam scores at all three levels and takes on multiple defensive assignments, which is exactly what Indiana has leaned on during its playoff runs.
He has guarded wings, power forwards and centers. Banchero may eventually be the better player, but if the goal is to win four playoff series right now, Siakam’s two-way game is the safer bet.
Johnson is another player easy to get excited about. He’s young, athletic and clearly on the rise.
Still, the playoff proof isn’t there yet. Siakam has already shown he can swing postseason series.
Johnson may have a higher ceiling someday, but Siakam has already been a major piece of a championship-level team.
James is still James, but the ranking is about today, not what he’s done across his entire career. At 41, he isn’t the same player he was 15, 10 or even five years ago. Siakam is in his prime, can handle a heavy load on both ends and, if the choice were for a full season and postseason in 2026-27, he’d get the nod here.
Mobley is a Defensive Player of the Year winner, an All-Star and one of the league’s best defensive bigs. Offensively, though, there are still stretches where Cleveland doesn’t get enough from him. That one is close, but Siakam’s extra shot creation and playoff experience would make the Cavaliers more dangerous in a series.
Barnes, meanwhile, has become Toronto’s franchise player since Siakam left. His versatility is real.
He can initiate offense, defend at an elite level and play just about anywhere from point guard to center. Even so, he still doesn’t have the postseason résumé Siakam has built.
That’s the heart of the argument. Too often, rankings lean toward what’s next instead of what’s already proven. Younger players, bigger upside, flashier box scores - those things tend to dominate the conversation.
Siakam has already shown what he is: a champion, a three-level scorer, a versatile defender, a durable pro and a player who will take on the toughest defensive assignments while still carrying a real offensive load.
Indiana doesn’t make anything close to an NBA championship run without him. He was arguably its most consistent player in that run, all while being asked to defend players at the three, four and five.
When the playoffs arrive, experience, versatility, durability, toughness and a championship mentality still matter. Siakam has all of that.
So calling him the eighth-best power forward in basketball doesn’t really feel like a fair evaluation. It feels like another reminder that Pascal Siakam is still one of the most underrated stars in the NBA.
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