Pacers' Paul George offers 'flashes' of old self to opponents

Paul George had just wrapped up his third game back with the Indiana Pacers, reaching new breakthroughs in this rehabilitation stage by playing the final possessions late in the first and second halves against the Detroit Pistons, when a rival veteran sought him out for a quick word.

Ever since George has returned from his fractured right leg, an injury that moved not only basketball fans but also the NBA fraternity, his postgame moments have seemed like a royal's receiving line.

Last Sunday night after his season debut, Miami Heat point guard Goran Dragic closed in as George walked slowly through the Bankers Life Fieldhouse hallway, beaming as he praised: "Man, you looked good out there." Then on Friday night, Pistons small forward Tayshaun Prince, who had matched up with George, shared his warm congratulations but also advised the rehabilitating star.

"I just told him, the minute that he feels something that's not right," said Prince, in his 13th season, "don't let your basketball instincts take over and try to push through it. This might be a time where you just have chill out for the rest of the year."

During George's three games of limited minutes, he has shown glimpses of basketball brilliance in swishing 3-pointers and impacting the defensive end. George has averaged 14.7 minutes in the Pacers' last three wins, entering the games after the mid-way point of the first quarter and playing freely enough to have launched 25 shots and connect on 6-of-12 from the 3-point arc.

"You saw flashes of what Paul George is going to be able to do," Prince said after George made half of his six shot attempts, including a pair of 3s against Detroit. "You could still see some things here and there."

Still, George – more than anyone else, he leads the chorus of caution by repeating that he will not look like his former self until next season – has also made opponents waver between fiercely competing against him and showing brotherly compassion as he sometimes looks measured and tentative.

"It's just a feeling that you have as a basketball player. You see it, you watch the injury and then you're like, 'Dang, that could happen to anybody.' That's going through your head at the same time when you're guarding him and at first you're like, 'Hold on,' " said New York Knicks guard Tim Hardaway, Jr. "As an opponent, you're kinda like you don't want to do anything because, you know, of the leg."

After his season debut against the Heat, George scored 13 points in 14 minutes but recognized how Miami did not test him on the defensive end. In fact, George collected his two steals that night by defending more like a free safety than a lockdown defender. So, if George had desired more action then by the next game, New York obliged.

On George's first touch, Hardaway, Jr. checked him 28 feet away from the rim. The Knicks' triangle offense kept him in motion defensively. And power forward Quincy Acy, both indirectly and directly, provided the hardest hits that George has received since returning to the court.

"I had a little bit of everything tonight," George said while sitting inside the Madison Square Garden visitors' locker room, a large bag of ice covering the bulging scar tissue on his lower right leg.

Throughout the Knicks' game, George saw multiple young perimeter players challenge him defensively – first Hardaway, Jr., then Ricky Ledo and Lance Thomas. All noticed the obvious decline in explosion, though still stating that George's legs will strengthen in time

"He's a little slower right now, but he'll be fine," Thomas said. "I think once he gets his rhythm and his legs back, he'll be alright."

Said Hardaway, Jr: "You can see he's still trying to get a feel for the game a little bit. He's falling out there and stumbling out there a little bit. He's just got to get his legs up under him and it will come in the next couple games."

However, George's basketball instincts looked sharp during his two steals as he hounded point guard Shane Larkin on a baseline drive and ripped away the possession and later, chased down a bad pass while dodging the basketball stanchion.

Undaunted by contact on the offensive end, George pump-faked Ledo and attempted one of his rare halfcourt drives to the rim just before Acy snapped his head back to send him to the free throw line.

The play did not register as an official shot attempt, and so far in three games, George has missed all six shots he has taken in the paint. Since returning, George has committed four of his seven total turnovers by either dribbling into double teams or driving into opponents for offensive fouls. Also, George, who before the surgeries would effortlessly attack and slash, has not built up the nerve to consistently drive the ball. The majority of his shot attempts (17) have come from mid-range and beyond.

"I've always been good off the drive," George said. "I know what's going on, where I can attack at. Right now it's still trying to get comfortable with things and still trying to figure out where teammates are. I've got to learn how to adjust my body if I'm driving into a crowd and maintain being strong.

"I have that in the back of my mind, any movement, any moment I don't know how well it will handle," George said, referring to his leg. "But I wouldn't say I'm afraid to attack the basket. I've just got to take my time with it."

Also in New York, Acy was involved in the play that sent Luis Scola falling into George's unprotected legs as he drained a 3-pointer. The collision sent George to the floor and when he looked up to see Scola's wide-eyed look of concern, he assured his teammate by saying: "Nice screen."

"Welcome back," George Hill thought when he saw George bounce back from the pileup. "I think it was a good mental thing to see that he could take a hit. I think he reacted well... He fought through it."

On Friday night against the Pistons, George did not have to move as much defensively since Detroit operates an offense for the high pick-and-roll between the point guard and bigs. George did not defend the Pistons' head of the snake, Reggie Jackson, instead sticking to players like Prince and Caron Butler, who remained around the perimeter. At times, George looked equally sharp (in the first quarter, denying Prince from taking a shot attempt) as well as a step behind (later in the third, cheating off Prince and recovering too late before the pump fake and drive to the rim).

"You can still see some hesitation in some of the things that he's doing and that comes with time obviously. Eight months … is pretty fast to be able to come back from that type of injury," said Prince, who admitted he was "surprised" by that George returned this season.

"I just say for the simple fact that, just being cautious more than anything. Let's say even if he is 100 percent, so be it. You just don't want to take that risk with a guy (who's) your franchise, he's your max guy. To bring him back right now – from my standpoint, obviously everybody is entitled to their own opinion and they don't have to worry about what I think – I thought there wasn't a reason to do it. But I understand from Paul George's point of view because us as players, we're so competitive."

That aggressiveness to come back stronger will carry into this summer, as George said he plans to spend more time in Indianapolis to continue rehab. While George continues to receive well wishes and words of advice from fellow basketball players, he relishes in his road back – while still recognizing the long road ahead.

"I'm not fully 100 yet, so there's still rehab stuff I've got to do when the season's done. Just because there are some things I can't do on my leg, so that's going to take some time," George said. "But once I (get) to the summer, I won't be worried about having sore days and stuff like that. It's a long summer, I've got time to heal, time to recover. That's when I'll really work on a lot of stuff that will make me better."

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