NBA Star Praises Former Raptors All-Star For Stellar Showing

Trae Young took to X to praise Pascal Siakam for changing the Indiana Pacers following his trade from the Toronto Raptors earlier this year

May 23, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam (43) shoots the ball over Boston Celtics center Al Horford (42) in the first half during game two of the eastern conference finals for the 2024 NBA playoffs at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports / Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports

Pascal Siakam is still one of the league's best.

Don't let Bilal Coulibaly's strange feud with the former Toronto Raptors star fool anyone, when Siakam is on, he's still one of the league's best scorers. The 30-year-old forward showed as much Thursday night in a 28-point effort as he tried to will the Indiana Pacers to a Game 2 victory against the Boston Celtics.

It wasn't quite enough for Indiana who lost Tyrese Haliburton to a hamstring injury during the game and are now staring down a daunting 0-2 hole, but Siakam can't be blamed for Thursday's showing. The former All-Star shot 13-for-17 from the field and was 2-for-2 from three-point range in 31 minutes before the Pacers strangely threw in the towel early in the fourth.

This why they got Pascal.. Changed their team!

— Trae Young (@TheTraeYoung) May 24, 2024

The impressive showing caught the attention of Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young who Tweeted "This why they got Pascal. Changed their team!" during the

Siakam had 12 points in the third quarter alone and repeatedly beat Al Horford who couldn't keep up with Siakam's quickness or jittery pull-up moves.

If Haliburton can't return this series, it looks like it'll be a short one for Indiana who nearly snuck out of Game 1 with a victory. The Pacers had a lead in the final seconds before a miraculous three-pointer by Jaylen Brown over Siakam forced overtime.

Siakam leads all Pacers in scoring in the playoffs, averaging 21.7 points with 7.7 rebounds 3.7 assists, and a 55.1% shooting stroke. He'll almost certainly be re-signed by Indiana to a max contract when he hits free agency this summer.