How Pascal Siakam is "handling" the pressure (Patreon)

By handling more of the ball 

By: Caitlin Cooper I @C2_Cooper 

When it comes to running the fast-break, Tyrese Haliburton has been very open about his desire to start possessions as the ball-handler in the open floor. In fact, during a recent appearance on The Old Man and the Three with JJ Redick, he even cited Pascal Siakam's immediate willingness to outlet him the ball as a reason why he knew they would click:  

“There’s times when new guys get on the team. I always think if you grab the rebound and I’m next to you, give me the ball because I want to give you it back. I’m trying to drive and draw two and I’m going to give it right back, put you in an easier position. Usually, when we get a new guy, it takes a little bit. Like when Bruce (Brown) first got there, he would be like this,” Haliburton said, waving his hand, “and I’m like, ‘Give me the ball. Give me the ball, I’m gonna get you a layup. Like, come on.’ The Portland game, the first rebound Pascal grabbed, I was in front of him and I was waiting for him to do this — and he flipped it to me. I was like ‘Oh, this is gonna be fun. He gave me the ball right away.’"

Since then, after playing 22 games together, Siakam is no longer giving Haliburton the ball right away; and yet, Haliburton doesn't seem to mind -- at least not by the numbers. Per Second Spectrum, Siakam logged 14 touches as the bring up ball-handler in Saturday's win over the Brooklyn Nets -- which was nearly triple the volume of what he posted in the loss to Chicago (5), when he attempted only one shot over his final 10+ minutes of action, including overtime. Here, though, within the first minute of play against Brooklyn, he very notably snatched the ball off the glass and looked to attack, with Haliburton spacing to the corner. 

Before the first period was over, that happened three more times, including as a product of his hustle, which was palpable for the game, as he tracked down another rebound, using his body like a shield before once again storming ahead with the ball in his hands.

Of course, as that possession goes to show, the results of his grab-and-go forays were not always pristine. Haliburton picked up a turnover with a no-look pass as a secondary driver, and Siakam likewise misjudged his anticipation of where Andrew Nembhard would locate along the arc. Still, Siakam wasn't just breaking from the norms in leading the break with Haliburton on the floor, he also was doing exactly as Haliburton had described, driving, drawing two, and giving the ball right back, only with the roles reversed.

Just for emphasis, that's Haliburton securing a rebound and willingly throwing an outlet pass for someone else to put him in an easier position instead of the other way around. In that regard, given that Indiana's star guard has shot 24.7 percent on 5.3 pull-up threes per game over the last 16 games while still not appearing quite as explosive powering off his left leg and also motioning at times for the ghost screens that can mitigate with hesitation what he may currently be lacking in separation, it seems as though licensing Siakam to drive is occurring with at least some intention rather than originating entirely at random. If nothing else, this sequence was certainly a striking back-to-back comparison toward the end of the first half. With Dennis Schröder playing the part of full-court pest and aggressively walling off the right side of the floor, Haliburton eventually got bothered into losing track of the ball.

On the next trip down the floor, following a missed free throw from the Nets, Siakam was back at the controls, bringing the ball to Haliburton as a reprieve as opposed to relying on Haliburton to collapse the defense in order to receive the ball. 

This also applied to dead-ball situations, in which Haliburton could be seen running ahead to screen, as he more often does now as the most credible movement shooter on the floor among the starters.

Needless to say, those inverted actions aren't always to Siakam's advantage. When Haliburton is being guarded by the toughest assignment for the opposing team, Siakam will at times either wave off the screen or immediately look to reject it, stopping-and-going like a bumper car to wheel his way to his spot. Meanwhile, if Haliburton is being top-locked, he isn't always physical enough to generate the effect of a double ball-screen by sandwiching his defender. That said, for a player who posted his highest usage rate in 27 games with the Pacers, this particular contest wasn't a reflection of lessening Siakam's burden but rather revealing how much he can shoulder while providing a second set of hands.

In stepping out to hedge and diving on a loose ball, Siakam arguably put together his most signature defensive highlight since being traded, offering a contrast to where the team has intermittently lacked in urgency by rushing up off the floor to score in a hurry at the other end as the trailer. After averaging 14.4 touches per game as the bring up ball-handler in Toronto compared to 11.4 with the Pacers (and only 8.2 when Haliburton has been on the court in 22 games played); however, Siakam also showed that, on a night when neither the star guard nor the team could make outside shots, he's capable of both dialing up and handling the pressure -- at least insomuch as he can be of assistance to Haliburton as a pressure release in handling the ball.