8p9s Roundtable: How Good Does Paul George Look So Far?
By Jared Wade
Starting with one word, how would you describe Paul George’s return so far?
Whitney Medworth: Relief. It’s been nice to see that, after that horrific injury, Paul George is going to be able to play basketball again. And not just play — but play at a high level. He’s not even close to 100%, yet he instantly improves this Pacers team when he steps on the court. He even fell hard a couple of times during the Knicks game and still bounced back up with a smile on his face. It’s been such a great weight off my shoulders to see that from him.
Justin Ochoa: Encouraging. Paul’s return has been very encouraging so far. I think he’s playing better than most people expected, including myself. It is encouraging to see him taking — and making — difficult shots, attacking the basket, and getting fouled. These are the types of normal basketball plays that are going to help him get back to 100% at a faster pace. It’s been great to see him back out there with the team, especially because he’s progressing so well.
Adam Lukach: Relief. After spending an entire season in anticipation of Paul George’s return it was nice just to see him get out on the floor, do his thing, and show that everything is fine — even when he’s falling down. As the all-important, once-and-future star of this team, George’s Wolverine-esque recovery was hard to believe in without seeing it. But with the way he’s looked, that’s no longer the case.
Jalen Bishop: Elating. I’m assuming everyone from the front office to Paul George to NBA fans were joyous of the last two games. His return has made the Pacers final stretch of the regular season one-thousand times more fun. Even after two falling moments against the Knicks, George was animated and laughed it off with the MSG Crowd.
Jon Washburn: Encouraging. I really had no idea what to expect from PG when he came back, but I certainly didn’t expect him to already be playing stellar defense and show more than simple flashes of athleticism. PG has actually looked good in his limited minutes – not just good for a guy that is injured, but good for an NBA player. He’s still uncertain at specific points, and you can tell he’s thinking things through too much on fast breaks and such, but most of that uncertainty could probably be traced as much to time away in general rather than to his injury. It seems like he will look better in every game and (knock on wood), the injury will really have no long-term effects.
Next: Paul George's Offense?