Indiana Pacers: Paul George Aiming For 2017 NBA MVP Award

Paul George has started his past two healthy seasons in MVP-caliber form. In 2016-17, the Indiana Pacers star is looking to complete the process.

Let’s get this out of the way: the fact that Paul George is even playing in the NBA is a miracle of modern medicine. When he suffered a compound fracture on August 1, 2014, many feared that George had suffered a career-threatening injury.

Back and better than he ever was before, George has set quite the individual goal for himself entering the 2016-17 season.

George is coming off of a 2015-16 campaign during which he made his third career All-NBA Third Team appearance. It’s quite remarkable that he already has three All-NBA nods at just 26 years of age.

During a recent interview on SiriusXM NBA Radio, George was asked what his personal goal is for 2016-17. His response: MVP.

"“I definitely want to be MVP this year. It’s tough. As always, it would be a challenge. But with coach Nate and the guys that I’ve got here, I’m in a position to move into that spot. As long as I remain being me, being a leader, being aggressive, and wanting that. It’s not mine for the taking. I’ve gotta go get it. And this is my year to go get it.”"

That’s a far more realistic goal than one might presume.

George’s last two healthy seasons were 2013-14 and 2015-16. He finished 2013-14 with averages of 21.7 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.9 steals, and 2.3 3-point field goals made per game.

In 2015-16, George averaged 23.1 points, 7.0 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.9 steals, and 2.6 3-point field goals made per game—all career-best numbers.

What’s important to note is that George started both of those seasons as an MVP frontrunner. He was the cinderella story of 2013-14, leading the Indiana Pacers to a record of 33-7 through the first 40 games of the season.

George’s play and the Pacers’ overall team success declined after that 40-game run, however, and he went from MVP favorite to an afterthought.

In 2015-16, George compiled averages of 29.5 points, 8.2 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.5 steals, and 3.8 3-point field goals made during the month of November. He did so on an obscenely efficient slash line of .475/.490/.847.

Unfortunately, George’s MVP hopes again withered away as he saw extreme dips in shooting efficiency the rest of the way.

In 2016-17, George will be playing for a head coach, Nate McMillan, who knows how to lead his players to offensive success. For those unfamiliar, McMillan coached the likes of Ray Allen with the Seattle SuperSonics and Brandon Roy with the Portland Trail Blazers.

Neither Allen nor Roy won MVP, but neither Allen nor Roy were the caliber of defensive player that George is.

Furthermore, George will be surrounded by more offensive talent than he ever has been in his basketball career. Jeff Teague, Monta Ellis, and Rodney Stuckey are dynamic slashers; Thaddeus Young is a versatile hybrid forward; even Myles Turner has tremendous two-way upside.

If that doesn’t catch your attention, then try the fact that Al Jefferson made an All-NBA team as recently as 2013-14 for his offensive contributions.

That doesn’t even touch upon the fact that C.J. Miles has made 296 3-point field goals over his past two games.

Indiana may suffer from a lack of consistent 3-point shooting, but it projects to blend physical defense with up-tempo offense. That’s the perfect environment for George to maintain the MVP-caliber level of play that he’s already displayed.

Fresh off of an Olympic gold medal and a postseason during which he averaged 27.3 points on a slash line of .455/.419/.953, George certainly has momentum.

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The question is: can George actually turn an MVP-caliber start to the season into sustained success?