It has been over seven months since Paul George suffered that gruesome injury on August 1, 2014 while he was preparing for the FIBA World Cup. To recap, during a Team USA Scrimmage, George got his foot caught on the bottom stanchions of the basketball hoop on the way down from his block attempt on James Harden and suffered a compound fracture in his right leg. The stunned and horrified facial expression of every person in attendance said it all about the severity of the injury.
Initially, the Indiana Pacers star was optimistic for a mid-March return. However, the possibility of that return this season still remains to be seen. It has been incredibly encouraging to see him back on the court and able to participate in practice for the past three weeks. But despite this, George does not appear to be as confident as he once was when he gave his original targeted return date.
It is only natural to feel hesitant when coming back from a serious injury, especially one as appalling as George’s, but it seems to be something more than that. George told reporters last Friday that he was “on the fence” about returning this NBA season. He had said that the team has been performing very well in his absence and does not wish to disrupt the flow and chemistry that they have right now. Over the stretch of their past few games, the Pacers have become one of the hottest teams in the NBA, winning 13 out of their last 16 and 10 of their last 12 games. They are currently trying to hold onto the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference.
Now the question remains: Should Paul George return to action and suit up just in time for the NBA Playoffs? There are two ways to think about this. The first perspective would be that the Indiana Pacers would definitely benefit by having George back in action, but this comes with the relatively high risk of George re-injuring his right leg. While the other option is to carry on with the current roster, try to make a positive run in the playoffs, rest your best player, and save him for next season. The more plausible, logical, and beneficial choice would have to be the latter.
At 6’9,” 225 lbs., this guard/forward is probably one of the most versatile players in the league and is fully capable of being a commanding force when he’s healthy. He has a lethal jump shot, can be an airtight lock-down defender, and he soars over defenders to throw down savage dunks that puts them on his poster. Paul George is a game changer; it’s as simple as that. Again, so do the Indiana Pacers really want to bring back their star player prematurely and risk him aggravating or worsening the condition of his leg? Absolutely not. That is very last thing they should to do.
Besides, George is only 24 years old. The Pacers can afford to have him sit out the rest of this season so that he can reach 100 percent by the start of next season. In addition, the playoff picture predictions have the Pacers playing teams like the top seeded Atlanta Hawks and the second place Cleveland Cavaliers. These two teams are nightmares for any team to play against, especially in the first round, and this could very well result in an early departure from the playoffs.
The best course of action for the team and, more importantly, for Paul George is to make sure that he makes his way back to full strength so that he can bolster the Pacers’ roster for the 2015-2016 NBA Season. If they can to do that, then Paul George will once again return to dominant form and help continue the success of the Indiana Pacers.
