Paul George sure is in the news a lot these days. After calling himself the best player in the NBA, George once again turned his attention to his new role as the Pacers’ starting power forward. All eyes have been on the all star this summer to see how he would adjust to the new position thrust upon him by coach Frank Vogel and team president Larry Bird. Saturday night, the team was able to test the new strategy in their first preseason game against the New Orleans Pelicans and star power forward Anthony Davis.
With the first game action of the Paul George four-spot experiment and against one of the biggest stars in the league, the plan predictably did not always go well. Case in point, Davis had 18 points and 8 rebounds in under 16 minutes of playing time.
After the game, George had plenty to say about the game and his experiences playing a new position. What George said is sure to turn some heads (via the Indy Star).
I don’t know if I’m cut out for a four spot. I don’t know if this is my position. We’ll sit and watch tape and I’m sure I’ll talk with coach (Frank Vogel). I’ll talk with Larry (Bird) as well to get both their inputs on how the first game went but…I’m still not comfortable with it regardless of the situation. It’s still something I have to adjust to or maybe not. Or maybe it’s something we can go away from.
It is very interesting to see George be this open about his dislike for the four spot. It is becoming increasingly clear that George really does not want to play power forward, especially not against someone like Anthony Davis. Of course, against certain matchups – namely those that pit him against offensively inept power forwards – having George play as a small ball four can be very useful, and George admitted as much, but against more difficult matchups it can be a grueling fight for the natural small forward:
I mean, you put four wings out there at times we’re going to kick some ass. We’re going to look good at times. But then you know, there’s going to be times when it’s not going to look so good.
To be fair, George did say that it was too early to place any judgments on the idea as it has only been experimented with in one game.
I don’t want to put a shadow over it, it’s only Game 1. It’s new to everybody… just got to see where we go from here. We’re playing around with this style now and trying to figure some things out but it’s not just myself. Four other guys out there, it’s an adjustment for them. A couple other guys are uncomfortable with how we’re going to run it and things like that. It’s new to everyone.
That’s the politically correct quote on the subject, from the man who recently said he was open to the idea. But the Pacers should be worried about alienating their superstar through playing him excessively at a position he is not used to and does not enjoy playing. This story is one to keep an eye on throughout the whole season.
