Much has been made about the Indiana Pacers’ decision to play Paul George at the power forward position in the upcoming season. Last week, he spoke to the media saying he was not thrilled about the idea. However, at Monday’s media day, George sang a different tune:
George on playing PF: "I told them I was open for it. It gives us a chance to change the East. I think it's gonna pay off in the long-run"
— Shane Young (@YoungNBA) September 28, 2015
It seems as though George understands the idea behind playing him at that position. By changing his role, he can help turn the team into a more efficient offense, adding spacing and pace behind the benefits of having four ball handlers on the floor.
Any reservations that George has on the matter are also fair. While he is big and strong enough to guard other fours, it may wear down on him over the course of an 82 game season. I would be shocked if coach Frank Vogel did adjust his lineups to try and protect George from guarding the more traditional back-to-the-basket power forwards. Nevertheless, Paul George sounds confident about his ability to play the position and about his team’s ability to make a deep run with him carrying the load, even likening the team to last year’s Atlanta Hawks:
Paul George: “I think we have a real shot of being top 3 in the East.”
— Candace Buckner (@CandaceDBuckner) September 28, 2015
The reason why Paul George has such a high ceiling for #Pacers – he’s encouraged by the leap made by the ’14-15 Hawks
— Candace Buckner (@CandaceDBuckner) September 28, 2015
