Remembering Paul George's brutal injury 10 years later

In 2010, the Indiana Pacers were a lottery team in that season's NBA Draft. With the number 10 pick overall, the team selected a gifted player out of Fresno State. It was months later that Paul George would enter the league.

Three years later, he would be named to his first All-Star team and would be voted All-NBA Third Team in 2013. In fact, this same year the swingman also won the Most Improved Player of the Year Award.

Not only did George repeat those honors the next season, but he also added NBA All-Defensive First Team, too. The Pacers coasted through the first two rounds of the playoffs until they were eventually eliminated by the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals.

That offseason, however, the Pacers organization received a crippling blow. On August 1st, 2014, George went down and suffered a gruesome break in his leg during a summer scrimmage in Las Vegas. He would be officially ruled out for most of the upcoming 2014-2015 season.

What happened next?

George did return in April that season. In the last month of the season, he played in six contests. During that stretch, he averaged 8.8 points and 3.7 rebounds.

After going 56-26 the season before, the Pacers did not qualify for the postseason. Frank Vogel, who was the head coach at the time, had to maneuver his roster to accommodate for the absence of George. The team finished five games under the .500 mark.

Finding themselves in familiar territory, the Pacers held the 10th overall pick, again. The coveted University of Texas big man, Myles Turner, was taken and given a warm welcome to Indiana.

Paul George would eventually be traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Domantas Sabonis and Victor Oladipo. The former Indiana Hoosier would be shipped off to Miami. Sabonis was an integral part of the transaction that saw point guard Tyrese Haliburton become a Pacer.

Clearly, we know how well that swap worked out. George is now back in the Eastern Conference after leaving the Los Angeles Clippers for the Philadelphia 76ers. Haliburton is playing for the United States Olympic team in Paris.