Indiana Pacers: Don’t Expect An Electrifying Paul George In Return
As many may know, there has been many speculation the last few weeks regarding a return of Pacers star Paul George.
While early reports indicating a mid-March return for George have died down, originally believed to be aimed at March 14th against the Boston Celtics this past Saturday, the buzz has certainly been kept alive as fans remain hopeful for a return of the 24 year-old swing-man.
It still remains to be unclear if George will beat the odds and make a return by the regular season’s end and guide the Pacers to the playoffs.
But even if he does come back, we simply can not expect to see the flashy, 20 point-per-game player that we have known him to be.
Now, I’m not saying that Paul George will never be the player he once was again, because he is still young and hasn’t even peaked to his highest potential yet.
I’m simply saying that there will be a period needed for adjustment whenever Paul George does decide to make his return. Whether it be this season or next.
“He’s coming, He’s developing. We’re not going to get into good days and bad days, when he’s ready, we’ll let you know.”
It would be ridiculous to think that Paul George could just come back and immediately put up large numbers and be that electrifying player after having not played in real-game action since last May when Indiana was knocked out of the Eastern Conference Finals by Miami.
When asked about how George’s timetable for a return coach Frank Vogel stated that “He’s coming, He’s developing. We’re not going to get into good days and bad days, when he’s ready, we’ll let you know,” per Candace Buckner of the Indianapolis Star.
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As fans, we would like to see Paul George make a return this season only because it’s been a long season without him despite the Pacers’ recent success. But could there be a cost?
Some have wondered if a George return would disrupt any of the chemistry between the team, as they have an NBA-best record of 13-3 since February 1st.
This Pacer team has shared the ball extremely well in that stretch and has been accompanied by a more-aggressive George Hill and Rodney Stuckey‘s ability to produce coming off the bench. Weird to think that this team, poised to crash and burn before the regular season, is playing its best basketball of the season at the most important time as they try to keep their case strong for the post-season.
So yes, keeping the team’s chemistry intact is very crucial to their success the rest of the way down.
Others worry about the possibility of a re-injury if George were to try to come back some time this season. After all, no one is for sure the extent of Paul George’s recovery. We know he’s been practicing for the last few weeks, but how far along his road of recovery does he have? How much longer will it take for him to be playing on the hardwood again?
No one can really give an exact date for when that time will come. And with recent reports of a teammate close to George claiming that George “isn’t even close to 100%” makes the situation even more daunting.
But when that time does come, expect Paul George to be playing some pretty bad basketball until he gets out of his period it will take him to get used to the fast-paced, full-contact marathon that is an NBA game.
Until then, we will just have to wait for the time to come and enjoy the Pacers right now as they flourish and attempt a run at the playoffs without their superstar.