The Indiana Pacers‘ recent December stretch has been the reason for star forward Paul George‘s multiple frustrations.
Coming at the heels of scathing comments about the officiating, George has seen his team lose six out of their last eight games, including the four straight.
The Pacers have retooled around George during the summer with hopes of keeping him as the centerfold of the franchise. The additions of Jeff Teague, Thaddeus Young, Al Jefferson among others, haven't worked out to preseason expectations — which had the franchise nailed to the likes of the Toronto Raptors as challengers for the Eastern Conference crown.
“It hasn't been (fun). We're trying to work through it,” George told reporters Thursday, according to Shane Young from B-Ball Breakdown. “It's been one of the most frustrating seasons I've been a part of.”
“If I don't approach it to be myself, to enjoy the process, to enjoy the grind… it's not only going to show on the court, but more so it'll show in the locker room. This is our work environment, and you know, everybody's got to enjoy coming to work.”
George's numbers are in line with those of recent memory, but he's now aware that he'll need to do more in order to propel this team from a middle-of-the-pack outsider to one of the top dogs in the East.
“I just have to continue to enjoy playing this game. I've been caught up with officials, getting caught up with on-court stuff. And losing sight of how fun this game is to me. As long as I'm approaching each game to enjoy it… whatever happens on the court, I (couldn't) care less. As long as I'm having fun and enjoying what I'm doing.”
The 6-foot-9 small forward is shooting a career-high 92.2 percent from the free-throw line, but is only making 4.5 trips to the line per game — his lowest since his third-year in the league.
“Maybe I'm just living in the past of how good we used to be, the personnel, the guys I had around,” George said, per Young. “I'm still living in that moment, maybe. I gotta put myself into a different team and maybe I have to do more, maybe that's just what it is, maybe I have to do more now.”
Paul George is averaging 21.8 points, along with 6.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.8 steals per game. Despite these All-Star caliber numbers, he'll be tasked with doing even more to spark the Pacers through a winning stretch come January.
“Whatever it is I'm going to figure it out.”
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