The entire city of Indiana slept uneasy on June 22, such was the heartbreak of losing the NBA Finals in a Game 7 thriller. Tyrese Haliburton’s injury had derailed their dream run, and the Pacers’ incredible journey ended just one win short of glory. Mentally recovering from that kind of loss and getting back to the grind is never easy. But Pascal Siakam is built different.
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According to his agent Jaafar Choufani, who spoke on SiriusXM NBA Radio, Siakam was already thinking about next season. Choufani explained how deeply committed the Pacers star is to his craft. It’s a dedication he has maintained since entering the league in 2016.
While most players take time off to unwind before returning to training, Siakam is already mapping out ways to improve. For him, the offseason is not about rest but about evolution. And that Game 7 loss to OKC only lit a bigger fire under him.
“His off-season preparation is absolutely dedicated,” Choufani said. “One of the most impressive ways that a player prepares. You know, he’s built himself his own full court NBA practice facility at his house in the off-season, and he trains… it’s a regimented program that we kind of put in every night, that is, kind of based on his strength and conditioning.”
Choufani further joked how, heading into every single off-season, that he has less than two days to prepare a plan for his coming weeks. After losing to OKC, it was Siakam who reached out within just 48 hours.
“The day his season ends, ‘Hey what’s the plan for the offseason? Where am I going, what am I doing?’ and so 48 hours after losing Game 7 he was already asking those questions,” Choufani stated. “So, you have a guy that’s very dedicated to his craft.”
2024/25 was a standout season for Siakam; arguably his best since the Toronto Raptors‘ Championship winning year in 2019.
Siakam averaged more than 20 points in both the regular season and playoffs, with Haliburton acting as the primary scorer, and even won the Eastern Conference Finals MVP. It was his 31 point performance against the Knicks that got the Pacers to their first Finals since 2000.
So, for Siakam to choose to improve on that should be a warning sign to his rivals and doubters. Sadly, however, to mar the beginning of the 2025/26 season, Pacers lost to the Thunder in overtime on Thursday. Siakam scored 32 points and grabbed 15 rebounds.
