The second installment of Bleacher Report’s behind the scenes look at Paul George‘s road to recovery was released right as George is contemplating a return to the hardwood. In the second episode of The Road Back, hear from teammates David West, Roy Hibbert and George Hill, Pacers president Larry Bird and coach Frank Vogel, as they talk about the possible return of PG-Trece this season and how they felt when the saw the injury happen. Some of us wondered whether he’d ever walk again — let alone hoop — after so horribly breaking his leg in August.
[RELATED: Paul George Relives Nightmare Injury In ‘The Road Back’ Episode One]
We’ve tracked George’s recovery through various benchmarks: The first time he was spotted walking without crutches or a limp; a sample of him hoisting three-pointers; one-on-one battles with his pooch; and finally, his first dunk.
In the second episode of The Road Back, Vogel compares him to Kobe in his tenacity to return:
“He has that will and determination, almost on a Kobe Bryant level. Not just in terms of the ability to want to be great, to work to be great, but in terms of rehabbing.”
And George himself discussed the coverage of his return, but also why he’s worked so hard to get back on the court in such a brief time following the injury:
“I gave [the media] a date like March 1st as when I want to officially be able to, like, practice with no limitations, nothing like that. The media ran with it. I told them I want two weeks to try and get in shape, the media ran with it. So, I mean I don’t want to rush it, but if the opportunity presents itself, I’m feeling good, I’m thinking some positives and will try to get some games under my feet.”
“He’s driven to be great,” says David West in episode two. “It’s not a bunch of talk with him.”
There’s a moment mid-way through episode two when George is watching his teammates on the court, and he says to the camera:
We hope he never does.
[protected-iframe id=”d5faff21d719ab7a53d836bac9208d4b-60970621-27345751″ info=”https://bleacherreport.com/video_embed?id=s1aGlsczrG_qz_w2qakt_5hmTIoeWQ1k” width=”630″ height=”355″ frameborder=”0″ scrolling=”no”]
