Siakam Delivers Reality Check on Pacers' Rough Season

Winning, even in a lost season, can offer temporary relief—but for Pascal Siakam, it didn’t change the reality.

Following the Indiana Pacers’ 135–118 victory over the Miami Heat, Siakam delivered a message that carried far more weight than his 30-point performance. The veteran forward made it clear that one win doesn’t erase months of inconsistency, frustration and unmet expectations.

For Siakam, this season has revealed something deeper, how fragile success can be in the NBA, and how quickly it can disappear if it’s taken for granted.

Here are Siakam’s full comments following the win, including his thoughts on snapping the franchise’s home losing streak and the team’s overall performance:

“I don’t think I realized how many times we lost at home in a row.”

“It’s tough, you don’t want to be in that situation, ever, really. And I think our fans deserve better for sure. It’s been rough. The supports been amazing, seeing them [the fans] showing up every single day. I see kids all the time and they want things signed. I see fans still excited even though it’s been rough for us. It just show that type of fan base we have and how much they care about this team and our success. And even if though it’s been rough, we appreciate them coming every single night supporting us and I think having a win like this feels good, but more importantly that support has been tremendous.”

Siakam pointed to this season as a learning opportunity—one that reinforces how difficult it is to sustain success in the NBA.

“I think we’re going to learn a lot. I hope we learn from this season, the tough lessons every single day. Understanding what it takes to win. And not to say that we took for it granted, I know it’s been okay here, but for the past couple of years that I’ve been here, it’s been a lot of winning. It’s been a lot of success. And I think sometimes it can feel like it’s almost normal that it happens, but those things are not normal. And to be able to win you have to consistently [play] as a team. Every single quarter, every single possession, everything matters. When you go through a season like this, you understand the value of that—winning, and how important that is and being together and I just hope we really really learn from this. It’ll be easy to just think we’ll be back next year. We’re gonna have our guys and that’s not guaranteed either. We gotta have that mindset, everyone’s going to really really work hard so we can come back and remembering how this [season] felt and not wanting to feel that again.”

Looking ahead, Siakam stressed that improvement will require more than optimism—it will take sustained effort and accountability.

“I think that’s what’s going to take us into next year and that should be our focus and our mindset. And I’m going to keep preaching to the guys, we’re not going to just flip the switch. It’s not going to happen like [that]. We’re going to have to really continue to fight for who we are as a team, continue to fight for Pacer basketball, our identity. We’re gonna have to get it back. It’s going to be rough, it’s going to be hard to do it, but I think the guys in the locker room, I can see that we all want to get back to that. This is not fun for any of us. It’s going to be a really good summer for us to get better.”

Even in a difficult season, Siakam noted there have been flashes of progress—moments that show what the group is capable of when locked in.

“I think there’s been a lot of good responses from the guys. You’re gonna see flashes of people having really good games, locking in into the details of what we want to do offensively and defensively, and I think we understand that. I’m gonna keep preaching it and make sure that we don’t forget.”

He also acknowledged the emotional toll losing takes on both players and fans, while praising Indiana’s support throughout the struggles.

“Losing is not fun. And I feel for the fans. You come to the games every single night, they spend their hard earned money, and they expect us to win. I know they understand our situation, but usually in the NBA, you [are] expected to win. It’s rough for the fans, but thats one of the things I really enjoy about Indiana and the fans, that they understand the game. I think they’re fair in that way, I don’t think they let us go out there and just do whatever, and if we don’t have effort and the things like that, they’re still going to support us, but I think they understand our situation. Which is really rare. We don’t take it for granted either. We understand what this means and this is not who we are, and we want to change that. I want the fans to know that we have that in mind and we want to continue to get better. And it’s that same message going on in the locker room. We know what is at stake and we know that this is Indiana and basketball is a big thing. We wanna make sure that we have success.”

Siakam also highlighted how injuries and constant lineup changes have made it difficult for the team to find consistency.

“It’s rough. It’s really hard to have consistency. You have new guys coming in that you have to play, they don’t really understand what’s going on and all these different things, and they have to learn on the fly, but I think our efforts been good. We’ve really been fighting. These games matter for us to get better.”

Finally, he addressed his disappointment in not having extended time to build chemistry with Ivica Zubac following the trade deadline.

Mar 18, 2026; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers center Ivica Zubac (40) dribbles the ball as Portland Trail Blazers center/forward Robert Williams III (35) defends in the first half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

“I was excited about it [playing together]. When I was injured he kept telling me everyday, when you coming back? When you coming back? So, he wanted me to play. I think it’s unfortunate that when I’m back he got out with the injury. I’m excited about what he can do as a player. His gravity as a big and hopefully I can get some easy layups from him too. I’ve played with Jakob [Poeltl], a big who doesn’t really shoot as much, but I think is really good around the rim and I’ve had success playing with him. I’m guessing I will [with Zubac]. He’s a smart basketball player, and I think we will find a way to coexist.”

Final Thoughts

Last season’s success won’t carry over on reputation alone, and Pascal Siakam made it clear the Pacers understand that reality. If Indiana is going to make a deep playoff run in 2026–27, it will be built on how this group responds now, using a pivotal summer to reset, refocus and earn its way back.

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