Rick Carlisle gets real about Pascal Siakam after 13th straight loss
The The Indiana Pacers need to do even more soul searching after losing their 13th straight game in a 120-116 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers without Donovan Mitchell. These defeats do not come from a lack of trying; Pascal Sakakhe especially fights with his heart every minute he spends on the hardwood.
Siakam had a rough shooting night, making just nine of his 23 field goal attempts. But the amount of defensive attention he gets on a nightly basis given the depleted state of the Pacers’ roster makes nights like this much more understandable. The Pacers struggle with a lack of talent every night, and it must bother Siakam, the series winner, that no matter how hard he tried, Indiana just couldn’t get out of the jam.
It’s getting to the point where he’s the head coach Rick Carlisle must express how much he feels for Siakam, who missed just one game for this 6-31 Pacers team.
“The guy I feel the most is Siakam. I hope the fans and the media realize the kind of year he’s having. I know how badly he wants to win games and bring joy to these fans,” Carlisle said, per Alex Golden of the Setting The Pace podcast.
Pascal Siakam and the Pacers are enduring a season from hell
It’s all been downhill for the Pacers since they pushed the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder to their limits on opening night. Their injury problems were so debilitating that they became a shell of their former selves – the pill that Iincredibly hard to swallow for Siakam and society.
The good news is there’s nowhere to go but here for the currently lifeless Pacers. Acquiring their replacement for Myles Turner via trade is crucial, however, if they want to pick up where they left off during the 2025 NBA playoffs when Tyrese Halliburton returns from his Achilles injury.
2026-01-07 04:51:00
