The Pacers’ 2016-’17 season has gotten off to a sluggish start, with the team currently holding a 8-9 record through the first month of basketball.
Their struggles this season haven’t come in one particular area. Besides simple things such as missing open shots, the Pacers’ problems have primarily stemmed from effort; The lack of communication on both ends of the floor, being non-commital to boxing out opponents and crashing the glass, etc.
Pacers superstar Paul George, who’s in his seventh season with the team, decided it was time to talk things over. George made the decision to hold a players-only meeting this past Thanksgiving.
“I wanted to get the guys together and kind of wanted to get them to just start seeing the game differently,” George said after the Pacers’ shootaround (via Nate Taylor of IndyStar). “If there’s action going on strong side, why can’t we talk and say, ‘Hey, I’m going to set you up for this back screen or I’m going to get to you for this pin down.’ No reason why we can’t communicate on the offensive end.”
After making several significant off-season moves to form what many predicted to be a competitive roster this season, Pacers president Larry Bird has been met with a swift wave of early disappointment. Him, along with the scores of Pacers fans, anticipate the team to eventually figure it out and turn it all around.
For having a roster consisting of Jeff Teague, Monta Ellis, Paul George, Thaddeus Young, Myles Turner, Al Jefferson and more, the Pacers must feel disappointed after their early start.
Nevertheless, there’s still plenty of time to make corrections, communicate, and turn things around. Calling for a players-only meeting right before playing a poor team such as the Nets was an intentional and smart move by the veteran George, a move that could help instill confidence in a team in dire need of it.
