2024-25 NBA Draft Guide: Fantasy Face-off, Pascal Siakam vs. Zion Williamson

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  • By SportsEthos Staff

    Our Fantasy Face-Off series will feature two SportsEthos staffers making their arguments in a head-to-head battle of comparable fantasy players. Today’s matchup features two power forwards who are going near the start of the middle rounds, one an athletic marvel with flaws in his game that just can’t stay healthy and the other a well-rounded All-Star and former champion who has never met those same heights in fantasy. It’s Zion Williamson and Pascal Siakam, as argued by Mike Passador and Yoel Abulaf.

    Last Season

    Pascal Siakam
    PF, Indiana Pacers
    SeasonTeamGPGSMPG FGMFGAFG% FTMFTAFT% 3PTM3PTA3PT% PTSREBAST STLBLKTO
    24-25 IND 43 43 33.3 7.8 14.9 52.3 2.9 3.8 74.5 1.7 4.3 40.5 20.1 7.3 3.4 0.9 0.3 1.2
    23-24 IND 80 80 33.2 8.5 15.9 53.6 3.6 5.0 73.2 1.1 3.1 34.6 21.7 7.1 4.3 0.8 0.3 1.8
    Zion Williamson
    PF, New Orleans Pelicans
    SeasonTeamGPGSMPG FGMFGAFG% FTMFTAFT% 3PTM3PTA3PT% PTSREBAST STLBLKTO
    24-25 NO 10 10 28.9 8.2 16.9 48.5 5.3 8.5 62.4 0.2 1.0 20.0 21.9 8.2 5.4 1.2 1.2 3.4
    23-24 NO 70 70 31.5 8.9 15.6 57.0 5.0 7.1 70.2 0.1 0.3 33.3 22.9 5.8 5.0 1.1 0.7 2.8

    Siakam’s fraying relationship with the Raptors led to an uneasy start, and the team as a whole was eventually blown up. Scottie Barnes was officially declared The Guy moving forward, and Siakam was dealt to a run-and-gun Pacers team halfway through the season. He looked like their best player early on in the playoffs — no shock given his experience — and Indiana made a surprise march to the Eastern Conference Finals. The mid-season move didn’t mess with Siakam all that much; his points and defensive stats were the same, he lost some assists but made a nice leap in rebounds, and improved his FG% while suffering a random dip at the charity stripe that took some of the shine off. He finished No. 80/78 in 8/9-cat scoring, and that was with his worst FT% since becoming a full-time starter.

    Williamson finally delivered a healthy campaign, logging a career-high 70 games (though topping a field of 24, 61, 0 and 29 games isn’t difficult). His assist numbers and defensive stats continued to tick up ever so slightly, all the while posting impressive scoring marks on a even-more-impressive mark from the field. Unfortunately, Williamson’s season ended on a sour note when he suffered a hamstring injury in the Pelicans’ first Play-In game after nearly carrying the team to victory with 40 points, 11 rebounds, five steals and a 17-for-27 shooting line in 36 minutes against the Lakers. Even with his ugly effort at the charity stripe, Williamson finished 74/111 in 8/9-cat, finally staying healthy enough to keep fantasy GMs happy for a full season.

    The Case for Pascal Siakam


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    October 11, 2024, 8:43 pm