Paul George steadily improving but return still uncertain
Despite playing without Paul George, the Indiana Pacers are the hottest team in the league, winning 13 of 15 games.
George's return figures to boost the Pacers' playoff hopes, but the fallen superstar is unsure of his return, and he's worried his return might rock the boat.
"I'm on the fence," George told reporters Friday. "Part of me is (thinking), they're playing so well, they've come together, to shake up the chemistry and add another body, another player in there ... I don't want to be that guy that destroys what these guys have going."
George was originally slated to return from his leg injury on March 14, but that date was pushed back and Pacers head coach Frank Vogel says he's not close to returning.
That said, George feels like he's made great strides since returning to full practices at the end of February.
"The Paul George today blows away the Paul George from then," he said Friday. "The reason the Paul George now would blow out the Paul George of two or three weeks ago is because I can move a lot better."
Being healthy and being ready to meaningfully contribute to a playoff team are two very different things. For George - who hasn't seen game action since snapping his right leg during a FIBA Team USA scrimmage on Aug. 1 - the latter remains a significant concern.
"It's different if this was the beginning of the year and we were still trying to find our way," he said. "But these guys are playing at the top of their game right now and the last thing I want to do is slow them down."
He has a point. The Pacers have found their groove of late, buoyed by a ridiculous hot stretch by shooting guard Rodney Stuckey.
Over the last 13 games, Stuckey has averaged 19.2 points, four rebounds and four assists on 52 percent shooting from the field and 49 percent from deep.
With the Pacers' secondary pieces playing so well, Indiana can afford to give George more time to rehab.
"I think if it gets to the point that these guys are in the playoffs and we're talking about coming back, we might as well let these guys finish that out," George said.
Still, the Pacers are no sure bet for the postseason. They're just 1.5 games up on ninth place, and if they do qualify they'll need all hands on deck. George is coming off a third-team All-NBA season in which he averaged 21.7 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists while playing lockdown defense.
That guy probably won't be coming back this season, but even a close approximation would be a huge boost to the team's suddenly not-so-far-fetched hopes of swinging a playoff upset.
"He's not ready yet," Vogel said, "but when he is, we'll let you know."