76ers Upgrade: 76ers’ Nick Nurse Assesses Pacers’ Star Acquisition

Just last season, the veteran forward Pascal Siakam was playing in his fifth season under head coach Nick Nurse on the Toronto Raptors. At the end of the 2022-2023 run, the Raptors’ organization decided to move on from Nurse after the team missed the playoffs.

Siakam remained a face of the Raptors’ franchise, but it wouldn’t be long until they parted ways with him as well. When Toronto lost the guard Fred VanVleet in free agency and traded away the two-way standout OG Anunoby a few weeks ago, the writing was on the wall for Siakam, who is set to enter free agency this summer.

Eventually, the Raptors struck a deal with the Indiana Pacers, which sent Siakam to the Midwest. While Nurse’s former veteran standout is out of the Atlantic Division, he remains a threat in the Eastern Conference as he joins a potential playoff squad in Indiana.

NURSE’S ASSESSMENT OF THE TRADE

“Pascal is obviously a really good player,” Nurse told reporters following practice on Thursday. “Two-way player, versatile.” This season, Siakam appeared in 39 games for the Raptors. Averaging 34 minutes on the floor, the Raptors’ star put up 22 points per game while draining 52 percent of his shots from the field.

While Nurse is curious to see Siakam’s fit in a system as pacey as Indiana’s, the Philadelphia 76ers’ head coach assumes he’ll fit in just fine based on what he knows about Siakam as a player. “He obviously gives them a little more size,” Nurse explained.

“They play a lot of guards, and he’ll probably help them a little bit matchup-wise. He can defend multiple positions. He can score buckets, man. He can get the ball in the basket when you need them. So, it’ll be interesting to see how he fits in. I don’t know with the pace they’re playing and the style they’re playing, he certainly can run, right? He certainly can run and play in the open floor so it should be interesting to see him do that again.”

The Pacers have had quite the season for themselves so far. After a hot start, Indiana represented the Eastern Conference in the NBA’s In-Season Tournament. After they fell short against the Los Angeles Lakers in the title game, the Pacers slightly slid down the Eastern Conference’s standings.

With a 23-17 record, Indiana places seventh in the East. If the season were to wrap up today, the Pacers would find themselves in the Play-In Tournament, fighting against the Atlanta Hawks for a spot in the postseason.

With the addition of Siakam, Indiana hopes to improve their standings in the conference while banking on the one-time champion’s experience to play a part in potentially making another shocking run in the second tournament of the season.

The Sixers will face the new-look Pacers for the first time on January 25.