Just over one year ago, Paul George suffered one of the most gruesome injuries the league has ever seen. He appeared in six contests for the Indiana Pacers at the end of 2014-15, averaging 8.8 points and 3.7 rebounds on 36.7 percent shooting in just 15.2 minutes per game. And as this season approaches, the 25-year-old is facing a position switch – one he doesn’t exactly seem too thrilled about, either.
Anyone forecasting All-NBA level play from George in 2015-16, basically, should be considered an optimist. Do the folks at NBA 2K16 fall under that category? Considering the leading NBA video game ranked the two-time All-Star as basketball’s fifth-best small forward, that’s certainly a fair assessment.
As George told Sam Amick of USA Today Sports, though, he doesn’t think 2K quite did him justice.
“I’m disappointed (in the rating), obviously, but again, I was out for a whole year,” George said. “There’s not much to expect when it comes to a rating. One thing I do like about 2k is they update it during the season, so I’ve got time to get to the 90s.”
With an 86 rating, George is behind LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony, and Kawhi Leonard in the small forward pecking order. Could he prove more impact than his current rank in the game suggests? Of course. It wasn’t long ago, after all, that George was considered a potential MVP frontrunner.
But there are simply too many questions facing the Fresno State product this season for 2K to justifiably rate him much higher. Playing a full season post-injury is one thing; switching positions and acclimating to an overhauled team construct is another entirely.
Either way, we hope he proves us and the video game wrong as 2015-16 finally gets underway. The league is a better place when its most talented players perform near their peak, and George is definitely among that exalted group – whether his early play this season indicates it or otherwise.
[Via USA Today]
