The Indiana Pacers are 1.5 games away from the eighth and final spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs with eight games remaining in the season. There is a man lurking among them who might be able to give them the necessary boost into that position--small forward Paul George.
He has been rumored to be close to action for weeks now, after horrifically breaking his leg this summer during a Team USA scrimmage ahead of the FIBA World Cup.
He hasn't been cleared for a return to game action yet, but teammate Roy Hibbert cops to seeing some amazing stuff in practices.
"I've seen him do windmills," Hibbert said.
"Seeing the things he does in practice, it's awesome. 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."
George was the most important player on the Pacers last season, averaging 21.7 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.9 steals per game. He was their jack of all trades, and willingly guarded the opposing team's top perimeter scorer on a regular basis.
In George's absence Hibbert has stepped up and been their defensive anchor this year, leading Indiana to the seventh-best mark in the league in points allowed per game. They have been awful offensively though, ranking 24th in points per game and 23rd in field goal percentage.
Although another teammate, David West, said George "wants to play real bad," the Pacers may simply be taking the cautious route to ensure he is ready to go next year. While 1.5 games doesn't seem like much, with only eight games left it may be a greater task than expected. The Pacers also must jump the Boston Celtics, who are ahead of them in the conference standings as the first team out of the postseason.
[CBS]
© Copyright 2024 Sports World News, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
