Pascal Siakam has a championship ring, a lengthy playoff résumé and a habit of actually being available. Apparently, that gets him eighth place.
A recent HoopsHype ranking placed the Pacers veteran eighth among NBA power forwards. Giannis Antetokounmpo led the list, followed by Jalen Johnson, Scottie Barnes, Evan Mobley, LeBron James, Paolo Banchero and Zion Williamson.
The placement drew some understandable pushback from Alex Golden of NBA On SI.
Golden argued that if the goal were winning a playoff series immediately, Antetokounmpo might be the only obvious choice ahead of Siakam.
That may be a little generous. Barnes and Mobley have strong cases, while Banchero and Johnson offer considerably more upside. Rankings also tend to reward youth and project what comes next.
Still, Williamson ahead of Siakam is a tough sell until Williamson demonstrates that he can remain on the court. Availability may not produce breathtaking highlight videos, but it remains fairly useful during an 82-game season.
Siakam has won a championship with Toronto and played a major role in turning Indiana into a contender. He scores, defends multiple positions and has repeatedly shown that his game travels into the postseason.
Eighth-best power forward sounds respectable in isolation. Once the names above him are revealed, it starts looking a lot more like Siakam has been overlooked again.
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