Indiana Pacers: Will Danny Granger Ever Be The Same?

Will Danny Granger ever get his old form back? The Indiana Pacers hope so. Photo Credit: Petaortos, Flickr.com

When Indiana Pacers forward Danny Granger went out with a knee injury just before the start of the season, many predicted the doom of the Pacers. After all, Granger had been the face of the team for seven years; it was impossible to picture the team without him. Rather than fold, however, the Pacers came together and formed a great team without Granger. Lance Stephenson did a better job in the starting lineup than anyone would have expected and Paul George improved his play significantly, earning his first All-Star selection. So, the Pacers have proven that they can be effective without Danny Granger. Now, they are posed with the question of whether he’ll ever be the player he was in the past.

This season, Granger has played in just five games, coming off the bench in all of them. In those games, he struggled mightily during his time on the floor, shooting just .286 from the field. It would be foolish to view these performances as representative of Granger’s actual ability. He was still recovering from the injury and the fact that he would reaggravate it shortly after returning to the lineup suggests that he may have been brought back too soon. Still, while Granger’s poor play this season may not be where he really is, there’s also a good chance that he’ll never return to his All-Star form.

Keep in mind, even before Granger hurt his knee, he was declining. In the 2011-12 season, Granger averaged 18.7 points per game. Certainly nothing to scoff at, but it was also his lowest average since 2006-07. Additionally, his shooting percentage was a career-low .416. Possibly more damning is that Granger’s shooting percentage has decreased every season since 2008-09. His abilities were deteriorating before he got hurt and the knee injury may have made the problem far worse.

If Granger plays a significant role for the Pacers in the future, it will likely be much different than what he’s done for them in past seasons. Up until 2012, Granger had been the unquestioned leader of the team. Everything went through him. Now, Paul George has taken over that role. George converted from the shooting guard spot to Granger’s small forward position and he adapted to the switch extremely well, setting career highs in points, rebounds and assists. He’s also become a menace on the defensive end, adding to what was already one of the scariest defenses in the NBA. Granger’s role as team leader has been usurped by George, now he must look to contribute in other ways.

It would be intriguing to see what a healthy Granger could do as a sixth man. The Pacers’ one big flaw is that they lack potency on offense. This is especially true of the bench, as D.J. Augustin has struggled at the point guard, while Tyler Hansbrough has shown flashes but been fairly inconsistent. Having Granger come off the bench would allow him to do what he does best; score. If next year’s Pacers team can successfully move Granger to the second unit, we could see a scary team become even scarier.

First, though, the Pacers will need to see if Granger can get his old game back. My guess is he can. His poor play this season was  simply a result of him not being recovered fully from his injury. Now, he’ll have the whole summer to rehabilitate his knee and get his game back to where it was in the peak seasons. His declining shooting is still a problem, but in the right scenario, Danny Granger could still be very effective.