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When the Indiana Pacers drafted Paul George with the 10th overall pick in the 2010 NBA draft, the word “potential” was being thrown around left and right. George was taken behind guys like Evan Turner, Wesley Johnson, and Al-Faroq Aminu–all of which are still struggling to adapt to the NBA game. In just his third season George has materialized to the best player out of the entire draft. The athletic forward has also been twice the player than John Wall–the first overall pick in 2010.
As soon as Danny Granger went down in early December, the Pacers load immediately fell upon George. Thus far, he has not disappointed–averaging 16.4 points per game, 7.5 rebounds per game all while playing 36.6 minutes a night. The growth from the 2011-12 season to the 2012-13 season has been astronomical as George averaged just 29.7 minutes per game along with 12.1 points.
In fact, in the last two games, George has been above and beyond what the Pacers expected. He has turned into an All-Star caliber player in just two seasons in the NBA. George has caught the eye of the entire league with his last two efforts versus the Miami Heat and the New York Knicks where he put up 29 and 24 respectively. More impressive than that, the 6’8″ George has snagged 11 rebounds in both victories.
George has turned into a different player since Grangers absence and deserves to be praised for keeping this Pacers team in first place in the Eastern Conference Central Division with a 22-14 record. George and the Pacers are back in action on Saturday versus the Charlotte Bobcats as they look for their 10th straight home win and fourth straight win.
