Paul George and the Pacers: A saga in the making
Last season was Paul George’s breakout season as a player and as a leader. He won the NBA Most Improved player of the year award and emerged as a capable leader of the Pacers team. George’s stellar play was one of the key reasons for the Pacers reaching the Eastern Conference Finals.
When a team has a future superstar in their team, they will go to great lengths to make sure that he stays with them. The Pacers took the phrase “great lengths” a step further. They’re on the verge of extending George’s contract to a $90 million, 5 year contract. This just reaffirms the potential of George and how much of Indiana’s hopes of a championship are riding on him.
George averaged 17.4 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 4.1 APG and 1.8 SPG last season. He got his first All-Star nomination and also got selected to the All-NBA third team. However, the most prized accolade might be the following one: he earned LeBron James‘ respect. To earn the respect of the best player on the planet and that too while being in your third season in the NBA is no small feat.
This season, the Pacers have become stronger as a unit. They reached the Conference finals last season and they won’t be willing to settle for that this time around. Have their chances improved? Let’s take a look.
Defence
Let’s begin on a positive note. Defence was the reason why the Pacers reached the Conference finals and also why they made the Heat work really hard for each victory. The Pacers allowed only 90 PPG last season and were ranked first in defensive efficiency.
Their young star, Paul George, is one of the best on-ball defenders in the league. He has a great wingspan and can control opposing Guards or Forwards effectively. Opposing players fared a PER of just 10.8 against George last season.
Roy Hibbert, at 7’2″, is one of the most menacing and ferocious shot blockers in the league. He swats away the opponents’ shots and also affects every player near the paint. Indiana’s perimeter players can afford to be a little lax on defence knowing that Hibbert’s there to clean up the mess. That’s an asset which most teams don’t have.
Most teams step up their defence when they reach playoffs. The Pacers, however, have been playing playoff defence all season long. One has got to appreciate their intensity on defence. This season, with George having an entire off-season to improve, and Danny Granger returning from injury, the Pacers will have one of the most suffocating defences in the entire league.
Offence
One aspect which the Pacers were found lacking in last season was offence. The Pacers scored just 101.3 points per 100 possessions. They ranked 19th in the league in offensive efficiency. Though in all fairness to them, their best offensive player, Danny Granger played just 5 games the entire season.
Without Granger, the onus to produce offensively fell on the dynamic young-old duo of George and David West. This pair carried the offence last season with George being the team’s leading scorer with 17.4 PPG and West following closely behind with 17.1 PPG. George Hill contributed with 14.1 PPG.
The Pacers should make sure they run the ball more through Hibbert. At 7’2″, there’s no other center/PF in the East of his calibre and of his height who can match up to him.
Along with Granger, George is their key offensive player. Playing as a forward, he can shoot from anywhere, is good at posting, can lay the ball in and is a good dunker. But, if Paul George wants to make sure he’s well on his way to the “Superstar” status, he has to improve his shooting. While being a good all round shooter, he does so at an average efficiency of .42. If he improves his shooting, especially his mid range game, he would pretty much be the perfect Swinngman.
Overall, be prepared to see the Pacers improve on offence this season. Granger’s back, and all the youngsters like George, Hill and Hibbert would have improved. With their defence and their improved offence, the Pacers will be a hard team to beat in the east.
Rebounding
The Pacers are the best rebounding team in the league, period. It’s not just the big men who rebound, everybody does. It’s part of your job to rebound if you’re a Pacer. They led the league in rebounds last season, with 46.1 RPG. 12.9 of those came on the offensive glass.
In the East, most of the teams aren’t exactly what you would call “big”. Heat, Knicks, Bulls, Nets all have big men, sure, but their overall height is low when compared to the Pacers. With Hibbert and West forming the front line, and George & Granger iu the G/F positions, they have one of the tallest teams in the league. This will definitely work out to their advantage.
Hibbert pulled down 8.3 RPG last season. West and George secured 7.7 and 7.6 RPG last season. Even their point guard, Hill rebounded 3.7 missed shots. With everyone rebounding well and being placed in a relatively short conference, the Pacers’ rebounding will carry them a long way towards the title.
Turnovers
Another liability. George turns over the ball an astounding 2.9 times a game. The other Pacers aren’t far behind either. Hibbert turns it over 2 times a game and west loses the ball 2.1 times a game. Overall, the Pacers rank 7th worst in the league when it comes to turning over the ball with 15.1 TPG.
They have to tighten their ship when it comes to turnover as it cost them quite a few points last season.
Chances this season
The Pacers are thirsty for glory. They have put their hopes on Paul George to carry them to greater heights. Can he deliver? Is the 23 year old worth the $90 million they paid him?
The management certainly feels so. After all, last season, he was a player who was on the cusp of being mentioned in the same breath as LeBron, Kevin Durant and Carmelo Anthony. It will be interesting to watch this youngster play this season.
If we do know one thing about the Pacers it’s this. They’re a talented, tough, defensive team. Led by veteran David West and the young Paul George, this team is one of the top 3 teams in the East who are capable of standing up to the Heat.