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Paul George: Analyzing 12 Plays from the Superstar’s First Game Back

By Jon Washburn

Apr 5, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Pacers forward Paul George (13) brings the ball up court against the Miami Heat at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 5, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Pacers forward Paul George (13) brings the ball up court against the Miami Heat at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Bad: Scared to land

While it is often necessary for NBA shooters to land off balance, a player should look to elevate normally when the opportunity is there. George showed the ability to knock down some jumpers in tough positions, but it’s possible that he has developed a bad habit of landing on just his left foot while he’s been compensating for the pain in his injured right leg.

Here, George once again eases into a cut before curling around a screen and getting a wide open jump shot. A good shooter will take an extra half second to completely square around and bury the jumper. George, either out of habitual compensation or laziness, chooses to fade away and land on his left leg, barely drawing iron in the process.

The Ugly: Inability to stop

This, without a doubt, will be the most important step in Paul George’s recovery process. The jumper looks good. The defense is mostly back to normal. The ball handling and decision making should come back with more reps. But PG won’t fully be “back” until he’s able to stop or explode off of his right leg.

In the first play, George leaks out and gets a one-on-one with the severely overmatched Goran Dragic. Point guards can be feisty and annoying in these situations, and Dragic plays the only card he has: attempting to draw a charge. In these situations, attackers merely have to slow down a hair, adjust their path, and avoid contact with the hapless defender.

You can see that Paul George knows what he needs to do, and as he approaches Dragic, it appears that he wants to plant on his right leg and euro-step to his left around The Dragon into a nice, easy layup. Unfortunately, PG decides at the last moment not to go with his instincts, and winds up barreling into Dragic.

No clearer example could be given of a player not trusting his body after an injury. In the midst of all the celebration and enthusiasm over his comeback, a heaping dollop of reality was shoved into the mouths of Pacers fans.

In the second half, George had a similar situation, and appeared to trust his right leg a little more as he attempted to cut to the left around the backpedaling defender. Still, you could tell that George was thinking throughout the entire fast break, rather than just instinctively doing what he was capable of.

Comebacks take time.

Not only is Paul George returning from a devastating injury, but he’s also playing competitive basketball for the first time in 8 months. Reasonable justifications abound as to why he didn’t perform at a higher level on Sunday night, but the fact remains: PG looks good, but he’s not fully Paul George — yet.

Next: Damjan Rudez Has Been the NBA's Best 3-Point Shooter Since January 25th

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