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How Valuable is Paul George to the Indiana Pacers?

By Alex Zietlow

May 30, 2014; Miami, FL, USA; Indiana Pacers forward Paul George (24) controls the ball between Miami Heat forward Shane Battier (31) and guard Dwyane Wade (rear) during the second half in game six of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2014 NBA Playoffs at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
May 30, 2014; Miami, FL, USA; Indiana Pacers forward Paul George (24) controls the ball between Miami Heat forward Shane Battier (31) and guard Dwyane Wade (rear) during the second half in game six of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2014 NBA Playoffs at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /
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With Paul George still out due to his broken leg and Indiana struggling, we have the opportunity to analyze how valuable George really is to the Pacers organization.

You don’t really know what you’ve got until it’s gone.

Everyone remembers Paul George’s gruesome leg injury in the USA Blue vs. White scrimmage August 1st.  On the spot, he was expected to be out for at least the 2014-2015 season, if not longer.  And while the NBA prayed for George’s speedy recovery, the league has not taken it easy on the Pacers so far.

The Indiana Pacers are currently 2-6, beating the Utah Jazz Monday, November 10th to snap their six game losing streak.  They needed a complete, team effort offensively to put up 97 points.  Roy Hibbert had 29 and A.J. Price had 22 off the bench in the win.

May 30, 2014; Miami, FL, USA; Indiana Pacers forward Paul George (24) dribbles against the Miami Heat in game six of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2014 NBA Playoffs at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
May 30, 2014; Miami, FL, USA; Indiana Pacers forward Paul George (24) dribbles against the Miami Heat in game six of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2014 NBA Playoffs at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /

And while Indiana is still one of the best teams in the league defensively, 4th in points allowed per game (94.6 ppg) and 4th in rebounds per game (46), they are struggling offensively, dead last in assists per game (18.4) and 25th in points per game (93.0).

With this set of circumstances, it is the perfect opportunity for us to see just how valuable Paul George really is to the Indiana Pacers.

Last year, with George in the lineup, the Pacers averaged 96.7 points per game and allowed 92.3 points per game. They finished the year going 56-26 and ended up first in the Eastern Conference.

Individually, George finished the year averaging 21.7 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.9 steals per game. He was named to the All-Defensive First Team and All-NBA Third Team in just his fourth season in the NBA.  George accounted for just under a quarter of Indiana’s points on the season, and truly stepped it up during the postseason, as he led the Pacers to the Eastern Conference Finals where they ended up losing to the star-studded Heat in six games.

Granted, Paul George was not the only significant player the Pacers lost from last season. They also lost Lance Stephenson to the Charlotte Hornets.  Stephenson contributed 8.0 points and 10.4 rebounds last year.  While George was the prolific scorer, Stephenson was the team’s extra battery, bringing toughness and intensity to both ends of the court for the Pacers.  But in the end, George affected the team’s success the most, and Indiana’s struggle in his absence is most telling of how valuable he was to the Pacers.

According to the average fan who purely focuses on the numbers, the Pacers are better with Paul George, but not better enough for George to be worth the five-year max contract extension that guarantees him between $80 million and $90 million. What these fans don’t realize is that the NBA’s long regular season makes it very hard for teams to be successful on a consistent basis when they don’t have 1-3 clear stars that handle a majority of the scoring responsibilities.  A team that needs a lot of its players to play uncharacteristically well to defeat an opponent is not going to be a consistent one.  With George, the Pacers had an idea of what to expect offensively night in and night out.  Without him, they don’t know who will step up, or if anyone will at all.

Also, Paul George brought confidence and swagger to this Pacer squad. With him in the lineup, Indiana knew they could compete with any team in the league simply because George could matchup with anyone offensively or defensively.  In the final seconds, there was no question who the Pacers were giving the ball to.  And while it is nice to believe that a team full of role players trumps a team with a few stars, it simply isn’t reality in the NBA.

As far as good news for the Pacers is concerned, Roy Hibbert seems to be getting his mojo back. If he can step up and avenge himself of his terrible performances at the end of the 2013-2014 season, the Pacers may still be able to put together a respectable year and make a playoff run.

But unfortunately, if he cannot sustain his current offensive success and management does not make moves to sign new players during the year, the Indiana Pacers may be facing their first season without making the playoffs since 2010.

The Pacers now know what they had in Paul George – a strong scoring and defensive star.

Comment below with your opinion on how important George is to this Pacers team.

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