The Indiana Pacers got their season off on the right foot on Wednesday night, coming from behind in the fourth quarter to knock off the Detroit Pistons on the road 115-109. While it was sloppy at times, it was a solid performance by the Pacers, who are looking to build off of their surprise run to the Eastern Conference Finals last season.

If the Pacers are going to reach those heights again this season, one of the main keys will be forward Pascal Siakam. Siakam took a little time to blend in with the team last season after he was traded from the Toronto Raptors to Indiana midseason, but he started to find his groove towards the end of the year. Now, with a full offseason under his belt, Siakam should be back to his usual self in his first full season in Indiana.

In the season opener, Siakam's full skillset was on display as he nearly posted a triple-double with 19 points, eight rebounds and nine assists. During the game, Siakam eclipsed 2,000 career asisists, according to the Pacers' official account on X, formerly Twitter.

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The Pacers will be leaning heavily on Siakam and star point guard Tyrese Haliburton for a lot of their offensive production this season after he took a huge leap into superstardom in 2023-24. Haliburton struggled with his shot in the season opener — he missed his first eight three-pointers — but knocked down his ninth to put the game away late in the fourth quarter.

Siakam's versatility complements Haliburton perfectly. The two can play together with Siakam as a screener int he two-man game, or the Pacers can dump the ball in to the former Raptors star and he can go to work in the high post. He is also an efficient shooter, which should help open up the floor for the rest of the Pacers. Haliburton and the rest of the Pacers thrive in transition, while Siakam gives them someone that can do damage in the half court.

A lot of things have to go right for the Pacers to reach the same heights that they did last season, but Siakam affecting the game in all facets like he did tonight will go a long way towards getting them there.