The Indiana Pacers are hoping Paul George can return this season after his devastating injury from earlier in the summer and he is already taking jump shots on court with the team in practice and while he still has a long recovery, the video showed that George looked good shooting the ball and there is a chance he could be back in time for the playoffs.
George was injured back in the summer while playing with Team USA and now he looks like he at least has a chance to return this season. After the injury many wondered whether he would be able to resume his career let alone play this season, but he suffered a clean break and healed up well following surgery. According to Pro Basketball Talk, George still likely will miss the majority of the season, but in video from Pacers practice, George was seen taking shots and looking good on the court.
The Pacers will have some major decisions to make regarding George, as they could bring him back this season, but if the team is out of the running in the playoffs or not a top contender, they could hold him out. While the Pacers hoped to compete for a title this season, the Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers will be much better with LeBron James and Derrick Rose coming back.
George being out will make it very tough for the Pacers to finish even in the tiop two of the central division this year. George was the leading scorer and arguably the best player on the team and now they are without Lance Stephenson after he signed with the Hornets. The Pacers have a lot of points and offense to make up for and having George out of the lineup will be very tough.
The Cavaliers are expected to be the top team in the east with LeBron, Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving and they have championship aspirations. The Bulls also have the chance to be very good and that leaves the Pacers in a tough spot this season. If they are in the middle of the pack and out of it, it's likely that the team doesn't rush George back, but if they are close, he could return in the second half. Depending on how the playoffs and postseason plays out, George also could return in time for that if he recovers in time.
The Pacers were the top team in the east last season and they were terrible in the second half and ended up in the east finals. The team lost to the Heat and they nearly lost in the first round to the Atlanta Hawks with George healthy. Now they start the season without him.
