Paul George certainly talks the talk, but can he also walk the walk?
Yes.
Just ask the Washington Wizards.
Ahead of the Indiana Pacers’ Tuesday night’s tilt in Washington, Paul George, now 25 and playing through his 6th NBA season, declared that he’s a better player than he was before he suffered his broken leg in the summer of 2014. Per the Washington Post‘s Jorge Castillo:
I feel like I’m better. I think a year away from the game, you learn, you grow, regardless if I was on the court or not,” George said after the Pacers shoot-around at Verizon Center Tuesday in preparation for their meeting with the Washington Wizards. “You just get a chance to really observe and be a student of the game, at that point when you’re sitting out. So I think that was the little bit that I needed, the push that I needed. I worked hard that summer going into the season. Granted I got hurt, but I feel like that year away was what I needed to just learn.
Anyone can talk, though. Ask Derrick Rose, and he might tell you he’s better now than he was before suffering his ACL injury in 2012. Professional athletes bleed confidence and aplomb. That’s part of the reason why they’re able to make it on some of the biggest stages, under the most scrutinizing spotlights.
But George’s assertion isn’t so much a belief as it is a fact. His player efficiency rating has never been higher, his effective field-goal percentage never better, according to Basketball-Reference. He has more than double the amount of win shares than any of his teammates, also per Basketball-Reference, and he’s dominating for what is, as of now, a top-four Eastern Conference faction.
And just because he’s meticulous, George has the recency bias front covered.
On the heels of his self-assured self-assessment, George dropped a 40-burger on the Wizards as his Pacers pummeled them, 123-106. He also added eight rebounds, four assists and two steals to go along with his 14-of-19 shooting performance.
Yes, George is better. He’s better than better. And if he and the Pacers keep this up, he’ll no longer have to talk or justify that he’s better.
Everyone will just know.
