Although they do not find themselves in the playoffs, the Washington Wizards had their looks at the NBA's title contenders throughout the regular season. Their record paints a story of inefficiency and inability to stop their opponents. However, the rebuilding Wizards made a few strides with their game plan and personnel over the past year, which may be worth the attention of the New York Knicks.
The second-seeded Knicks are set to take on the Indiana Pacers at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Friday in what will be the sixth game of team's second-round playoff series. Boasting a 3-2 advantage in the series, New York needs just one more win to close things out and advance to the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
While the Wizards were swept by the Knicks during their season series, Washington found a way to steal a game from Indiana. If Jalen Brunson and company hope to win on the road on Friday and clinch the series, this piece of advice will be key for the Knicks to learn from the Wizards.
Wizards lay out the blueprint for Knicks against Pascal Siakam
Before the trade that sent the 6'8" All-Star from Toronto to Indiana, Pascal Siakam dominated the Wizards. In November, Siakam torched Washington for a season-high 39 points, cashing in from the post.
Siakam shot just five three-pointers across two games against the Wizards, his third-fewest attempts from beyond the arc against teams he faced more than once this season. Siakam capitalized on Washington's inability to push him outside of his comfort zone in November, which is something the team continued to improve upon against their opponents down the stretch.
On Monday's episode of Run it Back, FanDuel's flagship NBA show, Michelle Beadle asked Coulibaly about his recent comments about Siakam, in which he said the Pacers forward was the easiest superstar to guard in the NBA.
.@MichelleDBeadle: "You said that Pascal Siakam was overrated...Do you stand by that?"#Wizards Bilal Coulibaly: "I stand by it." pic.twitter.com/3F32d721Mt
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) May 13, 2024
"They were asking me who is the easiest superstar to guard and I was like, Pascal. You know I watch the films and I knew what he was about to do, when he was going left or when he was spinning around, going right."Bilal Coulibaly
Through five games against the Knicks, Siakam is averaging 19 points per game on 52.8 percent shooting. New York has found a way to limit the volume of shots Siakam was able to take in the Pacers' first-round series against the Milwaukee Bucks. If the Knicks continue their effort to limit his volume and study Siakam's film as Coulibaly mentioned, they will find success in Game 6.