The Indiana Pacers are a mystery wrapped in an enigma heading into the 2015-16 season, mostly due to the departures of stalwart big men David West and Roy Hibbert and the corresponding change in philosophy, but also because of the full return of Paul George. Sure, he returned for a few games at the end of last season, but with a full offseason dedicated to training and not walking on crutches, he’s expected to be all systems go from day one. Or, even earlier than that, as his 20-point explosion (on 7-of-7 shooting) in the first quarter Tuesday night against the Pistons, proved.
Because of Indiana’s new commitment to small ball, discussion around PG-13’s return has sadly focused on his reticence at playing power forward and not OH MY GOD PAUL GEORGE IS BACK GETCHA POPCORN READY. But the stated benefit of his positional shift — better offensive matchups — is looking like it’s going to pay off big time. Look at the Pistons he was roasting.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9kHkw_4lrg&feature=youtu.be
Out of Stanley Johnson, Ersan Ilyasova, Anthony Tolliver and Marcus Morris, only Johnson resembles the kind of wing defender George had to deal with in season’s past. (And Johnson can be forgiven, after all, since it was literally his first NBA action ever. Welcome to the NBA, rook!)
George showed extreme confidence he could get his shows anywhere in the half court, and it showed. He’ll face tougher tests, like he did against Anthony Davis for a few plays in his first preseason game, and he’ll still have to bang bodies down low, but 32 points in 23 minutes could do a lot to boost his enthusiasm for the position change.
How the Pacers will defend is anybody’s guess (mine: not very well), but PG showed good chemistry with George Hill on a couple of plays, and Monta Ellis showed in Dallas that he can play very well with a perimeter-based power forward. An Ellis-George pick-and-roll could be an absolute nightmare for NBA defenses this year, but it’s too early to look ahead with anyone, even PG-13. It’s just nice to see him return to his all-star form.
