When Larry Bird first brought up the idea of Paul George returning from his horrific leg injury to return to the Pacers, there was a ton of questions. Most notably, is George ready for a return?
George was originally open to the idea of a return but as the weeks came, there has been more doubt than ever that we will see PG-13 in a Pacers uniform this season.
To this point, the 2 most notable people concerned about George coming back were his head coach Frank Vogel and George himself. George wasn’t sure if his return would disrupt the flow that the Pacers have right now, currently sitting in the seventh spot in the Eastern Conference.
Now it seems like the teammates, as well as George, are lacking the confidence needed to come back from an injury like Paul sustained.
From Candace Buckner of the Indystar.
However, even as George has practiced for three weeks, Pacers’ teammates, while highly supportive, see a player who looks good for someone who broke his leg while noting that he is still on the mend. One teammate declared that George is “not even close to 100 percent” while expressing strong skepticism about a return this year
While Vogel never speaks about how George looks on the court, during the brief moments when media has watched the end of practices, George has shown little to justify a return in the near future.
Friday’s media session offered only a minuscule window into George’s activity but the final three minutes didn’t resemble the player last seen in the Eastern Conference finals. During that stretch, he could not get through rookie Shayne Whittington‘s screen. Then on a different play, George recovered late trying to pick up Whittington, who was open for a mid-range jumper. George cursed as the shot swished through.
Also, for the several months that he has participated in spot-up 3-point drills, George appears to have developed a hitch in his footwork. On some long attempts, George will shoot and follow through while his right leg instinctively steps forward to brace him, instead of landing and stopping without additional movement as most jump shooters would.
The more and more the Pacers do play, the more likely it is that Paul will come back to the team. It’s not like he’ll get thrown right into the starting lineup and be expected to return to his All-Star status immediately. Anyone expecting that is just foolish.
The immediate cause for concern right now is the fact that his teammates and the media, those who have actually seen George on the court the most, have a high level of concern that he isn’t full back to form.
That is sure to raise some eyebrows as the season winds down and the Pacers decide on what to do with George.
