Indiana Pacers: C.J. Miles Has Been The X-Factor

Despite the absence of George Hill (upper-respiratory infection), Rodney Stuckey (ankle) and promising rookie Myles Turner (finger) over the last week, the Indiana Pacers have continued winning. They’re 9-5 on the season, they sit defiantly at fourth in the Eastern Conference standings and they’ve got the league’s third best defense.

Hill returned to action Tuesday night and Stuckey had already been back since Saturday’s blowout win over the Milwaukee Bucks, but how did the Pacers post a 3-1 record with Stuckey sidelined (and 2-1 with Hill absent)?

For starters, there’s obviously Paul George, who is playing at an MVP level in his first full season since a horrific leg injury in the summer of 2014. PG-13 is averaging a gaudy 25.9 points, 8.4 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.6 steals per game on .458/.457/.844 shooting splits, taking complete command of his squad with stellar two-way play now that he’s back in his preferred position of small forward.

Chase Budinger also deserves a shoutout, since he played admirably in his two games as a starter (both wins), averaging 14.0 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game while going 10-of-22 from the floor and 4-for-8 from three-point range.

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But if you’re wondering how the Pacers kept winning with basically just Paul George and a group of role players fueling the charge, especially as Monta Ellis continues to struggle with his new team, look no further than the quiet career year that C.J. Miles is putting together.

Through the first month of the season, C.J. Miles is averaging 15.9 points and 1.6 steals in 27.6 minutes over 11 games, shooting 46 percent from the field and 45.9 percent from three-point territory. Those aren’t exactly All-Star numbers, but Miles’ impact extends deeper than the box score.

Paul George is currently lighting the league up, but it wouldn’t be possible without Miles, whose ability (and willingness) to play the role of stretch-4 has relieved George of that responsibility and allowed him to thrive where he’s more comfortable at the 3.

If, for whatever reason, you’re not quite buying into that narrative yet, consider that a month ago, George was constantly expressing his doubts about the transition to the power forward position and was racking up technical fouls to start the season. Now, thanks to Miles, he’s turned a complete 180 and is cracking jokes like he’s the life of the party again.

Miles was huge for the shorthanded Pacers over the last four games in particular, averaging 23.0 points and 5.0 three-pointers per game on 53.6 percent shooting from the field and 60.6 percent shooting from deep. With Rodney Stuckey and George Hill out, his three-point recent supernova couldn’t have come at a better time.

Even with Hill back in the lineup Tuesday night on the road, Miles and George blitzed the Washington Wizards from downtown, going for a combined 72 points on 15-of-17 shooting from three-point range.

Miles finished with 32 points on 8-of-9 shooting from deep, making it his third straight game in which he’s scored at least 20 points. Obviously that kind of game is the exception, and 11 games is a small sample size, but it’s worth noting that Miles is posting career highs in scoring, steals, three-point percentage and minutes this season — an impressive feat for any 10-year veteran.

Next: NBA Power Rankings: Week 5

The Indiana Pacers are still without question the Paul George Show, as PG-13 continues to go NC-17 on his competition. But with C.J. Miles knocking down threes, taking on the tough defensive assignments at the 4 and turning in the best season of his 10-year career, he’s undoubtedly been their second most important player and an underrated reason they’ve started the 2015-16 campaign on such a strong note.