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Selfless Indiana Pacers Not Exempt From ‘Face of the League' Debate

Selfless Indiana Pacers Not Exempt From 'Face of the League' Debate originally appeared on Athlon Sports. When NBA talking heads clearly haven't watched teams play, they generally default to talking about which players are the "face of the team." Advertisement Before the Indiana Pacers went on a postseason tear, Chandler Parsons admitted that he did not watch them play during the regular season. Not only did he miss out on some excellent basketball, but he simply failed to do his job, now being unqualified to talk about one of the very best teams in the league. On a recent episode of FanDuel's Run It Back, rather than talk about how the Pacers slowed down Jalen Brunson or how Rick Carlisle mastered his rotations, they instead brought up the "face of the team," and seemed to think Pascal Siakam shies away from the spotlight. "When you think Indiana Pacers right now, you think Tyrese Halliburton," declared Parsons. "You don't think Siakam.' However, Parsons didn't mean it as a slight at anyone. Advertisement 'When you have a guy like this, that is just zero distraction, all work, all about the team and winning, that means more, that carries more weight than just talent and hype," Parsons continued. "And that's how I think he continues to succeed, is because we don't talk about him as much as we should.' Siakam is one of the most underrated players in the league, and he finally got his flowers after winning the Eastern Conference Finals MVP Award, although he is not here for individual hardware. It's clear that everyone on the roster doesn't care about their trophy cases; they just want to put a ring on their finger, and winning players like Siakam and Haliburton can share the spotlight. Instead of appreciating that, the national media has gotten swept up in who's a superstar and who doesn't quite make the cut. Indiana might not boast any superstars, but they have a roster full of winners. Check out the All Pacers homepage for more news, analysis, and must-read articles. Advertisement Related: Tyrese Haliburton Sends Six-Word Message to Knicks Celebrity Superfan Related: Indiana Fever, Purdue Boilermakers Prove Pacers' Rick Carlisle Right This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 2, 2025, where it first appeared.