Paul George Hesitant To Return This Season And “Shake Up Chemistry” For Pacers
The updates on Paul George’s recovery from his leg injury have been open and frequent, including an ongoing video series showing George’s rehab and itch to return to his Indiana Pacers. George has been ahead of schedule for his return, causing him to set this month as a potential and realistic timetable for his return.
While the Pacers are undoubtedly a better basketball team with Paul George, their best player, they’ve kept in the grind of the season and have recently become one of the hottest teams in the league. Indiana has won their last seven games including 13 of their last 15. With that in Mind, George expressed his hesitancy to come back abruptly and ruin what his team has going right now.
From Matthew Glenesk of the Indy Star:
“I’m on the fence,” George said. “Part of me is, they’re playing so well, they’ve come together, to shake up the chemistry and add another body, another player in there… I don’t want to be that guy that destroys what these guys have going.”
This was something I brought up in the recent news about Blake Griffin returning soon for the Clippers — a different dynamic with George, but basically the same principle.
Teams have to adjust when they lose their best player. It’s almost a fight or flight kind of deal where you decide to either come together and commit to playing for each other, or you wallow in the loss of your most talented player. Often times we see teams, like the Clippers and Pacers, find a competitive fire without their best player. A new chemistry is formed. Thus, it’s highly commendable for Paul George to openly say that it’s about the team right now, not him. It shows a level of unselfishness and ultimate commitment to the well-being of his team.
It also shows a developed quality of leadership on Paul George’s part.
