Indiana Pacers: It’s Time To Give Paul George The Necessary Help
After another somewhat wasted season, It’s time for the Indiana Pacers to bring in a legitimate star to play next to Paul George
Unfortunately, with their run in the 2016 NBA Playoffs coming to an end, the efforts of the Indiana Pacers will have been in vain for yet another season.
This is the team you want to root for time and again in the playoffs, but their inability to win big continues to breed frustration among the fans in Indianapolis as well as basketball lovers nationwide.
The problem with the Pacers is the fact that they’re stuck in this odd middle ground where nobody in the NBA really wants to be.
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After a stretch in which they twice battled the Miami Heat’s Big 3 in the Eastern Conference Finals, the Indiana Pacers have flatlined as a fringe playoff contender. After missing the playoffs a season ago, this year they managed to only re-ascend to a 7th seed.
They’re not built to contend for a Conference Title, let alone slug it out with the powerhouses of the Western Conference in a potential trip to the Finals. Yet they’ve managed to stay out of tank contention; even without Paul George last season, they nearly scratched and clawed their way back into the playoffs.
The Pacers do have some valuable assets, most importantly the services of PG-13, for the foreseeable future. In his age-25 season (his 6th in the league), PG-13 posted a career high 23 points per game while shooting, while shooting a very efficient 42 percent from the field, 37 percent from three-point range and 86 percent from the free throw line.
This wasn’t a Raptors vs Pacers series, it was the Raptors vs Paul George; and he almost won
In the seven-game series against the Toronto Raptors which wrapped up a few days ago, he proved his value in this league beyond a measurable doubt. Through the first round, he was the 2016 Playoffs leader in points, field goals, minutes, steals, free throws, and win shares. This wasn’t a Raptors vs Pacers series, it was the Raptors vs Paul George; and he almost won.
With Paul George seemingly in the midst of his prime, one can’t help but fear that the Indiana Pacers are squandering the best years of his career by just floating in the NBA’s mid-tier. If we’ve learned anything from the past 70 years of NBA basketball, it’s that no one man can win a championship by himself.
It’s why we place the Celtics and Lakers dynasties on such a pedestal, it’s why we vilify LeBron James for taking his talents to South Beach, and it’s why the Pacers need to right this ship before it crashes.
Head Coach Frank Vogel had the team post another stellar defensive campaign, ranking 3rd in the league defensively even after perennial rim-protector Roy Hibbert had been shipped to Los Angeles during the offseason.
He has proven his worth to this organization just as players like Monta Ellis and George Hill have. The Pacers need another legitimate star, however, to pair with PG-13, one whose game will compliment his.
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It doesn’t matter if they make a trade or signing to bring in an established star, or if they go out and draft a high potential guy who can develop into an All-Star pretty quickly; the point is that the problem with the Indiana Pacers is that Paul George simply can’t do it alone.