Paul George: Analyzing 12 Plays from the Superstar’s First Game Back
By Jon Washburn
On Sunday night, Paul George returned from a gruesome leg injury to ignite the Pacers towards final playoff push. While the team and crowd were clearly rejuvenated by his return, there was only one truly important big picture narrative that mattered: Would Paul George look like, well, PAUL GEORGE?
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Pacers fans will undoubtedly overanalyze those 15 minutes of game tape as if they are watching the Zapruder film for the first time. How did he play on defense? What did those awful fast breaks mean? Did all of that work on the jump shot pay off?
Of course, measured and prudent evaluation is key, and making any long-term, dogmatic judgments based off of one game would be silly. But let’s look at the previous questions — and more — as we analyze some important individual plays from Paul George’s first game back and try to project what he could look like for the rest of this season.
The Good: Paul George buries his first jump shot
The superstar’s comeback had an almost storybook ending (beginning?) when he buried a tough, off-balance jumper within moments of entering the game.
From a basketball development standpoint, there was just a lot to like here. Paul George accepts an elbow pick and roll and keeps his center of gravity low as he turns the corner. The help defense performs perfectly, showing hard enough to cause George to hesitate, but not leaving the roller too open for a jump shot or dive to the basket. George has been forced into that dreaded no-man’s land midrange area, and he didn’t even have all that much room to work with. However, George debuted a move that he had rarely shown in previous years, jumping off of his left leg in an almost Dirk-like fashion and burying the jump shot to send the crowd into a frenzy.
It’s possible that George, not trusting his leg yet, chose to rush a low-quality shot off of his good leg rather than squaring up for a better look. When players get injured, they often learn new moves, specifically regarding their footwork, in order to compensate. Of course this can be detrimental to long-term success, but it’s also likely that George has practiced this specific shot many times over the last several months. Perhaps he’s added a new wrinkle to his midrange game that will benefit him and the Pacers in the long run. Either way, it was great to see that jump shot go in.
The Good: Lockdown defending
The Miller Time Podcast guys covered this specific possession yesterday, but it must be recapped. At his best, Paul George is one of the three best wing defenders in the NBA alongside Kawhi Leonard and Tony Allen. His presence turns the Pacers’ defense from “very good” into “elite.”
This play was a fantastic sign for Pacers fans who had wondered how well he was going to be able to defend. Throughout the night, George shimmied and fought around screens better than one could have hoped, even in his limited minutes. But on this play early in the fourth quarter, he practically mirrored Dwyane Wade en route to forcing a badly missed jumper.
Perhaps more importantly, George trusted his right leg on the entire play, first as he planted and angled Wade to go left, and then elevating off of it to contest the long jump shot at the end. With better awareness from his teammates, PG just might have gotten a fast break dunk out of it…or, at least an attempt at a fast break something.
Next: Continued – PG's Jump Shot