Paul George recovers from 'dark moment' to become All Star again
NEW YORK – For the first two months of the NBA season, Indiana Pacers forward Paul George was in a funk.
“I was in a dark moment, a low moment,” he said. “I had a bunch of ankle injuries going on. The team wasn’t meshing well. The chemistry between myself and Jeff (Teague) wasn’t where it should’ve been. … I’m the guy who has to bring it on both ends, and I wasn’t feeling like I was capable of doing it physically. So it was wearing on me.”
George, 26, had a long stretch of recovery and basketball in the past two years, starting with his severe knee injury during a USA Basketball intrasquad game in the summer of 2014. He missed most of the 2014-15 season, returned close to his old self last season and won a gold medal with the U.S. at the Rio Olympics in August.
“Coming from USA Basketball and mentally and physically just being drained from basketball – starting a new season out, not fully being 100, having some bruises and some injuries – it took me time to work through that,” he said.
Shortly before the Pacers left for London and a game against Denver on Jan. 12, George had an epiphany. “I had a night of prayer and a morning of refreshment,” he said. “I’m doing and doing what I love to do, blessed to play this game. That’s honestly what changed it – just being happy in the moment I’m in and enjoying it.”
It shows, too. George and the Pacers had their best month of the season in January – with George averaging 24.5 points and shooting 47.8% from the field, including 42.3% on three-pointers.
“Now, I’m in a good place physically and emotionally,” George said.
For the season, he is averaging 22.6 points, 6.21 rebounds and 3.3 assists and shooting 45.4% from the field, and he made the Eastern Conference All-Star team for the fourth time.
He had four consecutive games with at least 30 points at the end of January, and his play coincides with Indiana’s rise in the Eastern Conference standings. The Pacers were 9-4 in January, are 3-0 in February and have moved from 10th place in the East in late December to sixth place, just two ½ games behind the struggling Toronto Raptors.
“Right now, we’re starting to learn, we’re starting to figure each other out, we’re starting to gain some identity and we’re starting to get some chemistry," George said. "That’s the difference.”
The Pacers started the season with a new coach (Nate McMillan) and new players: Teague, Al Jefferson, Aaron Brooks and Thaddeus Young.
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“We kind of forgot this is a new team,” George said. “As much as we wanted to and as much as we felt it was a great team put together, you have to be realistic that guys have been in different programs and been accustomed to playing differently.”
George also had to earn trust from new players in a new system.
“They have full trust in me to go out there and be me,” he said. “I’m trying to make the game easy for them just as much as them trying to make the game easy for me.
“They know each possession I’m trying to get the best look for us. And they trust me with that. If I’ve got the shot, they trust me with taking it. If I don’t, I’m a willing passer and just want to get the best out of each possession. They’ve had that trust in me.”