To say that this season has not gone too swimmingly for Paul George and the Indiana Pacers would be an understatement. Indiana heads into Wednesday’s action with a pedestrian 36-34 record and is currently the sixth seed back east.
More than their on-court performance, the drama surrounding the Pacers and their star forward has involved whether he will be in Indiana over the long term. Earlier in the season, George was quoted saying he wants to play for a contender, which could be seen as his way of telling the Pacers’ brass to get it together and build an actual contender (more on that here).
This was followed with endless rumors of George being dealt leading up to last month’s trade deadline — rumors that also suggested he wants to play for the Los Angeles Lakers. If that wasn’t enough, George himself seemed a bit upset about how the Pacers and president Larry Bird communicated with him throughout the entire process.
Now, with Indiana battling for a playoff spot down the stretch, George has decided to speak out on what he has seen from his team this year.
It’s not good.
“This season has been a reality check,” George told ESPN.com. “You think you are gonna be in those playoff battles, playing alongside those guys forever. You have to try and recapture that moment. And that moment for us was having a strong chemistry and identity. We don’t have one now. I’ve never been on a team without an identity — without a toughness identity.”
Those are some really harsh words right there. No chemistry or identity. A lack of toughness. As George notes, understanding Indiana lacks these core principles has been a wake-up call for him.
Whether these words are targeted at other players on the roster or towards first-year Pacers head coach Nate McMillan remains to be seen. What we do know is that George is not happy about the current situation in Indiana.
George, 26, is set to become a free agent following the 2017-18 season. This leads many to believe that Indiana will look to trade the All-Star during the summer should things not improve. George’s recent comments only add to that.