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8p9s Roundtable: Concerns for the Indiana Pacers at the Halfway Point

By Ben Gibson

Jan 13, 2016; Boston, MA, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Monta Ellis (11) shoots the ball over Boston Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas (4) during the first half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 13, 2016; Boston, MA, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Monta Ellis (11) shoots the ball over Boston Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas (4) during the first half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jan 15, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Pacers forward Paul George (13) dribbles the ball while guarded by Washington Wizards guard Ramon Sessions (7) in the second half of the game at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The Washington Wizards beat the Indiana Pacers 118-104. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 15, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Pacers forward Paul George (13) dribbles the ball while guarded by Washington Wizards guard Ramon Sessions (7) in the second half of the game at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The Washington Wizards beat the Indiana Pacers 118-104. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports /

A year after missing 76 games, Paul George will be an All-Star. Are you surprised or did you expect him to bounce back like this?

Wade: No. This is about what expected on the balance, although I didn’t think his first 40-ish games would half him being the second-best player in the NBA half the time then legit mediocre (to bad) for most of the other games. I figured it would be a more level path to his same sterling season-long averages. So it has happened oddly, but he’s back to a definitive top 20 guy and that was well within expectations. As is him starting to look fatigued and sloppy half-way through the year.

Furr: I expected him to bounce back. Despite the horrific nature of his injury, broken bones typically heal better than any sort of ligament damage, and there was no doubt that Paul George would put in the work necessary to be his old self.

Donahue: His performance in November was surprising, but coming back to earth hasn’t been. Taken as a whole, I think his season has been about what I’d expected.

Barth: His explosion this season came out of nowhere for me. We all knew he was an All-Star caliber player, but he carried this team in November the way James Harden, Russell Westbrook or even Lebron James tend to do for long stretches of the season. There was a time when he was #2 to Steph Curry in the way-to-early MVP voting. Problem is, that was almost 2 months ago and he’s come back down to Earth quickly.

Washburn: I never expected him to bounce back and play the way he did in November. That was a version of Paul George that we have never seen before. His play over the last month, though, better matches what I expected. He’s still a great defensive player and has a smoothness to his game that just makes him fun to watch. But his offensive decision making and streaky shooting are still keeping him from being one of the league’s very best players. The potential for “elite-ness” is still there, but he needs to be able to do it on a night to night basis.

Next: Midseason MVP

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