Paul George is supposedly making his season debut at some point over the next two weeks as the Indiana Pacers fight tooth and nail in the race for an Eastern Conference playoff spot. And considering Roy Hibbert’s glowing remarks of his teammate’s performance in practice, it seems possible George’s presence could be what pushes Indiana first to the finish line for a postseason berth.
Via David Aldridge of NBA.com, Hibbert says he expects people to be surprised at just how effective George will be when he finally takes the court.
“I’ve seen him do windmills,” teammate Roy Hibbert said.
[…]
“Seeing the things he does in practice, it’s awesome,” Hibbert said. “He’s coming. But I don’t know what’s going on with, I’m not a part of it. The training staff hasn’t told us what they’re planning on doing, and the front office doesn’t. So they collectively talk. But the things he does in practice looks like the old PG, so whenever he comes back he’ll be good… People are going to be surprised. He’s going to have a big play his first couple of possessions back.”
We don’t doubt that George is throwing down highlight-reel dunks with ease – he’s a high-flier with rare length, after all. What we’re far more dubious about is speed of the 24 year-old star’s acclimation to heated NBA competition.
Practice just isn’t the same as a 48-minute contest that will be played with major playoff implications, a reality Hibbert seems to be conveniently forgetting. Even if George’s debut took place in a game that would prove inconsequential to the standings, he should be afforded the same grace period other players returning from major injury are – basically, low expectations out of the gate until his feet are soaking wet.
The problem for Indiana is that it doesn’t have time for George to struggle. Frank Vogel’s team is half a game out of eighth-place in the East with nine games remaining, the next three of which come against its direct competition for that final postseason spot: the Brooklyn Nets, Boston Celtics, and Charlotte Hornets.
The reigning All-NBA Third Team honoree recently wondered if his sudden addition might throw off the Pacers’ rhythm during the most crucial stretch of their season, and we think it’s a legitimate cause for concern. Indy has rebounded from an awful six-game losing streak to play good basketball in each of its past three matchups, perhaps righting the ship for good in a win over the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday.
The major question for Indy is whether or not Vogel shares Hibbert’s optimistic belief that George will immediately resume his past level of play when taking the floor for the first time in nearly a calendar year. If so, the Pacers should bring PG-13 back immediately. If not, though? There’s no right or wrong answer.
Indiana is in Brooklyn to face the Nets at 7:30 EST on Tuesday night. We’ll keep you updated on George’s status as information becomes available.
[NBA.com]
