5 Pacers storylines to watch in the second half

The Indiana Pacers return from the All-Star break on Friday at Philadelphia (7 p.m., FSI). Here's a look at five storylines to follow the rest of the season.

1. Paul George coming back mid-March?

No peaceful and relaxing All-Star weekend for the Pacers' PR staff.

While George made a business trip to New York City to endorse his line of hats, he also created a fuss with comments about making a full comeback by mid-March.

"March 1 isn't when I wanted to play my first game, but when I wanted to be full-out practicing, doing up-and-down full court without any restrictions or limitations," George said in a Friday interview with Yahoo Sports. "From there on, it's seeing how far I can progress to where I play my first game. My hope is it's an opponent where I feel comfortable coming back to where there isn't too much pressure to perform, where I can ease my way back in. But I want to say mid-March, I could probably come back around that time."

Later that night, the team released a statement to reel back these comments. While the statement repeated that George was "hopeful" and "optimistic" with that timeline of a return, the team also emphasized that the decision rests with the Pacers' medical staff.

2. Don't equate a George comeback to Pacers' playoff run

As the rehabilitating star inches closer to a comeback from what was believed to be a season-destructing broken leg injury, he will be on the court again this year. However, before fans start buying up tickets for the March 14 game against the Boston Celtics, let's pump the brakes.

George will return to practice sometime this season, and it's not out of the question that early March could be the target. However, a mid-March return to playing in games appears to be the creation of an over-anxious competitor.

Coach Frank Vogel, and even several teammates, still operates under the assumption that George will miss this season. Also, Vogel seems sincere when stating that he has no plans to rush George back if the team lands a playoff spot.

"Him helping us make the playoffs is not even a thought for us … what's best for Paul George and what's best for his rehab process is all we're thinking about in terms of whether he's able to play," Vogel said. "Where we're at in the standings has nothing to do with it — in my mind, at least. You may ask Larry (Bird) that but in my mind it has nothing to do with helping us win a few games to try and get into the playoffs. It's what best for Paul George."

3. Rodney Stuckey leading the bench

For a player with a reputation as a fearless shooter and a team starved for playmakers, the union between Rodney Stuckey and the Pacers seemed like a good match. However, Stuckey has not appeared comfortable in the starting lineup, fluctuating on and off the ball before George Hill returned from injury. During an early stretch of nine games in January, Stuckey only once attempted more than eight shots. While Stuckey would argue that he was trying to stay true to Indiana's offense, coaches needed him to be more assertive.

"We felt like in that starting unit, he was deferring to David (West) and Roy (Hibbert)," Pacers assistant coach Nate McMillan said. "He has to be more aggressive."

Stuckey listened. In the last 11 games before the All-Star break, Stuckey averaged 10.2 shot attempts per game and shot better than 50 percent in eight of those games. Also, in the final matchup before the break, Stuckey efficiently scored 16 points (7-of-10) in 13 minutes as he came off the bench against the New Orleans Pelicans.

Throughout his seven years with the Detroit Pistons, Stuckey alternated as a starter and a substitute until the 2013-14 season, when he had one of his more productive campaigns as a full-time sixth man. Not known as a consistent shooter, that season Stuckey made 43.6 percent from the floor, the second highest of his career.

As the Pacers move forward, expect Stuckey to return to his roots as a fire starter of the second unit while Solomon Hill moves back to the starting lineup as a wing.

"I'm hopeful we can do that, we'll see how it goes," Vogel said. "I like that role for Rodney. Rodney and I have talked about that as maybe something he's more comfortable with, so hopefully we can continue to do that."

4. George Hill making more of an impact

In only 15 games, George Hill has showed just how much he means to the Pacers. Though often maligned as the subject of trade fantasies a year ago, Hill will be the reason behind any Pacers' potential playoff run.

Plain and simple, the Pacers are a better team with a healthy Hill as the starting point guard. The team's offensive rating soars more 10 points (per 100 possessions) when Hill plays and his presence can also be felt in the final results.

Without Hill, the Pacers have a 12-27 record but with him, they are 9-6 and sitting only two games back from the eighth seed of the Eastern Conference.

Since Hill returned from his last groin injury, the Pacers have gone 6-4, the best showing among the other five teams vying for the final two playoff spots, including Charlotte and Miami. Just as important, Hill's return settles the rotation, allowing C.J. Watson to play in his more familiar role as backup.

5. Behold, the inevitable Roy Hibbert decline

Brace yourself. It's that time of the year again when Roy Hibbert is due for his annual regression in offensive production.

Since becoming a full-time starter in 2009-10, Hibbert's scoring has dipped in three of the past four seasons by an average of 2.2 points after the All-Star break. The outlier: the 2012-13 season when Hibbert went from scoring 10.0 points per game before the break to a meaty 15.7 points over the final 26 games.

However, for the last 28 games of this regular season, Hibbert looks like he can go either way — a surprising upswing or the predictable decline.

Over the last 10 games, Hibbert has operated at his highest offensive rating (109.6) and under the glass at a much higher clip (collecting 17.8 percent of available rebounds) than he has all season. Much of this can be attributed to Hibbert playing increased minutes while his backup Ian Mahinmi recovered from an ankle injury.

Still, there are signs of wear and tear for a player stretched over a 7-2 frame. After a summer spent focusing on his balance, Hibbert has tumbled to the ground more often in recent games. The extended All-Star break will help someone like Hibbert who hasn't missed a game since late November.

Call Star reporter Candace Buckner at (317) 444-6121. Follow her on Twitter: @CandaceDBuckner.