Indiana Pacers: 5 Things That Need To Happen To Make Small Ball Work
Paul George needs to play like the superstar he is.
The most important step to the Pacers success with their new starting lineup is the most obvious one. Paul George’s health and play are the most important things for the Pacers success this season, especially with their new offensive philosophy. In the preseason, George has looked more like the superstar-in-the-making we saw before his gruesome injury in the summer of 2014.
If George returns to being one of the ten best players in the league, it’s hard to imagine the Pacers missing out on the playoffs for the second straight year.
The move to small-ball is centered around George’s ability to play the power forward position and the opportunities it presents not only for George, but for everybody.
After the team’s preseason win over the Orlando Magic, head coach Frank Vogel spoke on the move to small ball, “Playing with space is good for all of these guys. Great for Ian Mahinmi to have space to catch the ball, and Monta Ellis and George Hill.”
The space Vogel speaks about is made possible by the mismatch the Pacers will receive by playing George at power forward.
The key to all of this is George. Being the focal point of the offense will create mismatches for him or another wing player who will be defended mostly by bigs who aren’t as adept at defending the perimeter. George playing power forward doesn’t mean he will be playing in the post, it means the post defenders will be out defending him or another wing.
It’s of my belief that Paul George will be mostly tasked with defending wings and playing on the perimeter, as he has done his entire career. The power forward designation is more or less by default that any representation of how he will play. When the Pacers play the Chicago Bulls, I’d imagine that Jimmy Butler will defend George.
When the Pacers play the San Antonio Spurs, Kawhi Leonard will likely be the one between George and the rim. Teams with great perimeter defenders will still throw their No. 1 guy on George regardless of what position is next to his name.
This just means that somebody on the Pacers perimeter will be defended by someone who isn’t fit for it. Maybe it means Nikola Mirotic or a LaMarcus Aldridge defending C.J. Miles and allowing Miles to benefit from a mismatch.
The idea of small ball is centered around creating mismatches and exploiting them. It’s extremely similar to the rise of the spread offense in football, in which the goal is finding a mismatch and getting the player with the mismatch in space. Offensive spacing allows less help defenders (check the next slide) which allows the player with a mismatch to attack it.
Without George playing to the level of a star player, those mismatches won’t be the same both for himself and his team. If George’s leg injury has repercussions, and we’ve seen no signs that it will, it cripples the small-ball philosophy of the team. How many games this Pacers team can win this season hinges on George’s health and productivity.
Next: Knocking Down Three-Pointers