Indiana Pacers: Paul George Proving He Is Back To Form

Heading into the preseason, not only Indiana Pacers fans, but all fans of the NBA were anxious to see Paul George get back on the court to prove his leg was 100 percent healed. George managed to play the last six games last season after suffering a gruesome leg injury in the Team USA Exhibition. His injury was one that impacted fans of any team. Being able to watch George come into his own and claim his stardom so soon after being drafted in 2010 from Fresno State, a school not known for basketball products, the last thing you want to see is a catastrophic injury.

Fortunately for Pacers fans, George has proven that he hasn’t lost a step since his injury, or it doesn’t seem like he has thus far in the preseason. After the first game, there were complaints from George on his involvement at the power forward. He didn’t think the role fit him because bigger players could use their physicality against him for easy baskets, which would also wear George down for the offensive side of the ball. Head coach Frank Vogel has continued to use him in situations when going with a smaller lineup at the stretch-4, and it has benefited both the team and George individually.

But breaking down what George has been doing throughout the seven preseason games gives reason to believe that his return to the MVP conversation won’t be delayed as long as people thought. He’s averaging 18.7 points and 6.2 rebounds in 24.4 minutes per game. One responsibility that comes with playing the stretch-4 is the ability to shoot from the outside. George has found his range so far, with his best coming against Chicago as he went 4-for-7 followed by the game against Detroit when he hit 5-of-9 attempts from three.

One thing that remained to be seen from George was whether or not he still had the athleticism that he had before the injury. We all remember the hammer he dropped on Chris “Birdman” Andersen in the Eastern Conference Finals back in 2013:

He’s responded to the whispers stating that he wouldn’t return to form prior to the injury, and he did so by supplying us with more ferocious slams.

Indiana has renovated their roster to fit the small-ball type of system, but the one thing that will remain constant is that George is the face of the team. With the addition of Monta Ellis, it provides another scorer to the starting lineup, but it also will help space the floor for George to operate in isolation or pick-and-roll situations.

As long as George can continue to produce at the minutes he is playing (which should increase to the 35-38 minute mark), Indiana should have no problem making a case for a playoff seed. Often times when players are out with injuries especially as gruesome as George’s, people tend to write them off as never returning as the same player that they were before. But not every player has the capabilities that George has, and we can all be witnesses to that starting Wednesday when they open their regular season at Toronto.

Next: 25 Best Players to Play for the Indiana Pacers

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