“Oh, this is gonna be fun” - When Tyrese Haliburton told JJ Redick he knew his chemistry with Pascal Siakam was real

Pascal Siakam and Tyrese Haliburton are the biggest reasons the Indiana Pacers have become title contenders in the past two seasons. Last year, they lost in the Eastern Conference finals to the Boston Celtics before reaching the championship round in 2025. The Pacers’ 1-2 punch worked its magic again in Game 1 of the NBA Finals to beat the OKC Thunder 111-110 on Thursday.

Following the duo’s impressive playoff run, a clip of JJ Redick’s interview with Haliburton on The Young Man and The Three in March 2024 resurfaced. When the now LA Lakers coach asked the point guard his initial thoughts about playing with Siakam, Haliburton responded:

“The first rebound Pascal [Siakam] grabbed and I was in front of him and I was waiting for him to do [motions to go away] and he flipped it to me. And I was like, ‘Oh, this is gonna be fun.’ He gave me the ball right away.”

Tyrese Haliburton told JJ Redick that chemistry with a new teammate usually takes time to develop. He said former teammate Bruce Brown used to tell him to run following a rebound. In Siakam’s case, Haliburton claimed his chemistry with the versatile forward was almost instantaneous.

Siakam debuted for the Pacers on Jan. 19, 2024, against the Portland Trail Blazers. He finished the game with 21 points, six rebounds and three assists but his team lost 118-115.

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The Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam era in Indiana got off to a rough start

The Indiana Pacers were on a three-game losing streak heading into their game against the Portland Trail Blazers on Jan. 19, 2024. To bolster their lineup, the Pacers sent Bruce Brown, Jordan Nwora and three first-round picks to the Toronto Raptors for Pascal Siakam.

Tyrese Haliburton and the newly acquired former Raptors star could not end the slump, losing their first game together to the Blazers. Two nights later, the Pacers traveled to Phoenix, but a nagging hamstring issue forced Haliburton out. Siakam had a 15-point, seven-assist and four-rebound night, but Indiana extended its losing streak to five.

The Pacers returned to Indianapolis for Siakam’s home debut on Jan. 23 against the Denver Nuggets. Haliburton remained out due to the same issue and the Pacers ended up losing 114-109.