Indiana Pacers: Compiling an all-time starting 5

Small forward: Paul George

If you look past the ugly break-up between the Pacers and Paul George it is hard to deny that he is the greatest small forward to ever wear a Pacers uniform. George wore the number 24 for most of his career in Indiana and those were the good old days.

Surrounded by David West, Roy Hibbert, Lance Stephenson and Danny Granger (until Granger was traded), George helped take the Pacers to the Eastern Conference Finals twice where he pushed the LeBron James led Miami Heat to the brink.

Those days in the Fieldhouse were magical largely because of the growth of Paul George. Chants of “Beat the Heat” reigned down in the “Blue Collar, Gold Swagger” Era. One of the most memorable moments of George’s career came in one of those series when he posterized Chris “Birdman’ Andersen.

https://twitter.com/TheUndefeated/status/1131908959172874241

Those days were not meant to last. George switched his number to 13 shortly after and began to lead mediocre teams to first-round playoff exits. Without George, those teams would have been on the outside looking in. After a couple of rough seasons, George requested a trade and shocked all of Indiana.

General Manager Kevin Pritchard granted his request and shipped him to the Oklahoma City Thunder for the new hopes, Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis. George averaged 18.1 points per game, 6.3 rebounds per game, 3.3 assists per game, and 1.7 steals per game during his seven seasons in Indiana.

Honorable mentions: Danny Granger & Roger Brown (HOF)