Indiana Pacers swingman Paul George has had a wildly unexpected season after the team made some key acquisitions in the offseason that was designed to put the franchise as a top three seed in the East. Instead, the Pacers are barely hanging on to the seventh spot and doing the most to get a higher seed to give themselves a fighting chance in the playoffs.
George has been unpleasantly surprised at how much his team depends on him to shoulder the load, especially down the stretch when most seem to defer to him to take the shots.
“I always do,” George said of having to shoulder the load with this year’s team, according to Scott Agness of Vigilant Sports. “From start to finish. But, it just seems when I go off, I’m looked at as the ball-stopper or the ball-hogger. I get labeled as that. Within games I try to move the ball, get others involved. And when that doesn’t work, that’s when I go on as a lone wolf.”
It's always a slippery slope between an “assertive team leader” and a “ball-chucking superstar” label, but George's situation is certainly tricky. The 6-foot-9 forward has capable pieces around him in point guard Jeff Teague, center Myles Turner, and lefty sniper C.J. Miles — but they all often defer to the Palmdale native to take the important shots and can't be trusted to take it upon themselves to complete the play.
“I would have liked to see my entire team play with that aggressiveness [that Paul did in the fourth quarter], head coach Nate McMillan said after a 125-117 loss to the Denver Nuggets. “That’s the aggressiveness that you have to come out with. We put up a 42-point quarter in that fourth quarter… we waited until the fourth quarter to display that.
“It’s a mindset that you come out and approach the game with. This time of the season, we got to trust that everyone in that locker room is going to come and do that job, and that they’re going to bring aggressive play. That didn’t happen tonight.”
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