Smith: Things couldn’t have turned out any better for the Pacers
By TYLER SMITH (@TylerSmith_ISL)
ISL Editor
(Photo by Pacers Sports and Entertainment)
Victor Oladipo is tired of the Paul George comparisons.
Many fans are tired of the Paul George talk themselves.
But with PG’s highly anticipated return to Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Wednesday night, the talk will be louder than ever. Maybe we can turn the page come Thursday. Until then, you can’t help but reflect on everything that has happened since June.
And if you’re the Indiana Pacers, one thing is clear: Things couldn’t have turned out any better.
When you consider the circumstances the Pacers were put in at the time, nobody could have dreamed things would have turned out this way. Not only do Oladipo and Sabonis want to be here, they’re both playing great, are both young, and are both locked up for years. The Pacers are 16-11 and in the middle of the playoff race in the Eastern Conference, despite playing a pretty challenging schedule. Even the most optimistic of fans thought it would be 2-3 years until this team produced at this level.
How will the Pacers replace a player like Paul George in a small market? How will they keep fans interested in a rebuild? Enter former Hoosier Victor Oladipo and company.
Towards the beginning of the season, when Oladipo was putting up great numbers, I was asked this question several times: “Is Victor Oladipo better than Paul George?”
My response was always along the lines of: “No, he’s not. But the Pacers still made a great trade.”
But then Oladipo continued to play out of his mind. He continued to hit big shots. He continued to show that this is his city now. And as I look at the numbers through 27 games, I’m starting to re-think my answer to that question.
Yes, it’s still a small sample size. Yes, it’s never a good idea to overreact to the latest trends. And yes, Paul George was a fantastic player over the years for the Pacers. But Victor Oladipo is truly showing himself worthy of that comparison, or more.
Let’s look at Oladipo’s numbers this year compared to Paul George of last year, shall we?
Oladipo in 2017- 24.5 PPG, 5.3 REB, 4.0 ASSISTS, 23.4 PER, 56.0 eFG%.
George in 2016- 23.7 PPG, 6.6 REB, 3.3 ASSISTS, 20.3 PER, 53.4 eFG%.
Is this guy not exactly what the Pacers needed to get out of the mess they put themselves in? A former Indiana University standout. A good teammate. A tireless worker. An easy guy to root for. And now, the numbers are there too.
Through December 10:
Westbrook: 199/506 FG’s (39.3%)
Melo: 159/394 FG’s (40.4%)
George: 165/397 FG’s (41.6%)
Oladipo: 229/472 FG’s (48.5%)True Shooting:
Westbrook — 48.8%
Melo — 50.5%
George — 54.3%
Oladipo — 59.7%Thunder: 12-13, 40-win pace
Pacers: 16-11, 49-win pace— Shane Young (@YoungNBA) December 11, 2017
The crazy thing is- Paul George should get some credit for this whole thing. Did he really have the Pacers’ best intentions in mind? Hard to say (but probably not). His agent handcuffed what they could do. He simply wanted out of town. But had he not done that? Imagine how this season would be playing out. Different players. Another year of PG “leading” the team. Not a lot of direction and still a lot of uncertainty of the Pacers future. But he could’ve rode the season out and left via free agency, leaving the Pacers with nothing. Thankfully he helped the Pacers out, which set Kevin Pritchard up to do his thing.
Paul George will get booed on Wednesday night.
Even though he did a lot for the franchise.
Even though the Pacers are happy with the trade and finding success.
And the fans have every right to voice their feelings. Booing Paul George doesn’t mean you don’t appreciate what he did here. You can feel betrayed and grateful at the same time.
He knows it’s coming, too.
“Boos. I honestly wouldn’t think it would be any other way,” George said, when asked what to expect in his return. “The Pacers fans outweigh the Paul George fans. That’s what I’m looking forward to. For whatever reason, I’ll be booed, but I’m gonna embrace that. I’m gonna thrive on that. That’s gonna give me the energy to play better.”
It will be a bittersweet night. It will be strange going to the opposing locker room to talk with George. Emotions will be high. It will be a playoff-like atmosphere.
At the end of the day, Pacer fans can be thankful for the past and excited for the future. It couldn’t have worked out any better.
Greg Anthony on NBA TV: "The Pacers are the biggest surprise in the league. Nate McMillan, Coach of the Year, right now. And Victor Oladipo has been an all-star. Period. End of story."
— Mark Montieth (@MarkMontieth) December 13, 2017
We all know Victor Oladipo is having a breakout season in IND, shutting down the notion that the Pacers got nothing in return for Paul George. But just noticed that Domantas Sabonis also has a better player efficiency rating than George (18.8-17.4). That was not what I expected
— Michael Lee (@MrMichaelLee) December 12, 2017
This is becoming more and more true for #Pacers fans.
But the reasons have shifted to how fun and awesome this team has been to watch, rather than the negative traits of Paul George.https://t.co/qF7HTJJySW
— iPacers.com (@iPacersblog) December 12, 2017
AFSETH: Oladipo taking game to impressive level https://t.co/ZCi0uMSyK8
— Grant Afseth (@GrantAfseth) December 12, 2017
