Ink on Indy
Fansided

Indiana Pacers: Paul George Ready to Be Leader of Team

By Garrett Hagan

Mar 27, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Pacers forward Paul George (13) dribbles the ball in on a defending Houston Rockets forward Trevor Ariza (1) in the second half of the game at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The Indiana Pacers beat the Houston Rockets by the score of 104-101. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 27, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Pacers forward Paul George (13) dribbles the ball in on a defending Houston Rockets forward Trevor Ariza (1) in the second half of the game at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The Indiana Pacers beat the Houston Rockets by the score of 104-101. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

Indiana Pacers forward Paul George has embraced his look as the newest leader of the team over the last two seasons. For 2016, he’s ready to prove that he can be that locker room presence that his teammates need moving forward.

For the majority of his career with the Indiana Pacers, Paul George was never viewed as the clear-cut leader of the team.

For years, that title had belonged to David West — a seasoned veteran in the NBA whose duty was to not only produce on the court, but keep the team intact through the difficult moments.

Many could also argue that center Roy Hibbert was ahead of George in terms of maturity and experience in the league. Rightfully so, as Hibbert had been with the Pacers for three years before the Pacers drafted George with the 10th overall selection in the 2010 NBA Draft.

Ever since the start of the 2015-16 season, however, George has been forced to be more of a vocal leader as he has found himself to be the face of a Pacers team that looks to be on the rise yet again.

West signed with the San Antonio Spurs on a veteran-minimum deal in the summer of 2015, with hopes of a championship that he had longed for after falling short with the Pacers for two-straight seasons.

Hibbert, once touted as one of the league’s best bigs with his offense and rim protecting abilities, was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers before the 2015 season after the Pacers watched his play fall drastically over two years.

“In that moment I thought I was going to retire with those guys,” George recalled of the 2014 Pacers team, per Mark Montieth. “I thought we would be together for awhile. But this league is about small windows. That’s what makes it so critical that we bond early.”

2015 was the first year in which George had to embrace his role as the face of the team, to which he delivered — averaging 23.1 points, 7 rebounds and 4.1 assists through 81 games, which were all career highs. He single-handedly forced seven games against the No. 2 seed Toronto Raptors in the first round of last year’s NBA playoffs.

But as the 2016-17 season approaches, George is fully ready to be the leader of the team for the long-haul.

“You have to understand, when you go from being the third or fourth option to being the No. 1 guy, there’s challenges that come with it. Paul had never been on a team where he had to be the guy. Last year was a stepping stone to him being the leader this year. This year he’s been more vocal and a leader,” teammate Monta Ellis said.

“My personality naturally is to have fun and make the situation a lot lighter,” George said. “I grabbed from David West, just coming in here and being a professional and doing what I need to do on the court, and just being a positive influence in the locker room. Danny (Granger) wasn’t much of a talker, he’d just go out there and play. He played hard. Roy was the locker room goof. He was always being playful and having fun. George Hill talked a lot. I grabbed a little bit from everybody.”

Indiana Pacers
Mar 19, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) is guarded by Indiana Pacers forward Paul George (13) at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Oklahoma City defeats Indiana 115-111. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /

With offseason acquisitions of Jeff Teague, Thaddeus Young, Al Jefferson and Aaron Brooks to name a few, the Pacers are hopeful to give LeBron James and the defending-champion Cleveland Cavaliers a run for their money this season.

If the Pacers do in fact wish to make a deep postseason run, George knows he has to play like the team’s No. 1 option, as he did all throughout last year.

Next: Indiana Pacers Predicted to Win Just 39 Games in 2016

With a new-and-improved team, if this Pacers squad can gel together and build chemistry throughout the season, they could be a dangerous team.

The Pacers kick off the 2016 season when they take on the New Orleans Pelicans in their first exhibition game on Tuesday, Oct. 4th at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

More from Ink on Indy

Home/Indiana Pacers