[Memphisboy14Participant]

I mean absolutely no disrespect. I love him as a player. And, I do think that he’s one of the 15 best players in the NBA when healthy. I thought he would be a great player before he came into the NBA. But, one issue I have is that I don’t think you can win with him as the 1st option on offense. I read on a blog where a person wrote that he will average 27ppg in his prime. I couldn’t see it. I think at BEST I see him averaging maybe 23ppg. I think he’s a great and versatile defender so I don’t mean to take anything away from him. I just don’t think he’s the type of guy who can put the ball on the floor and create his own offense no matter the circumstances. He’s also not a particularly efficient player on the offensive end either. I will give him this though, in this new system that the Pacers are setting up by lining him up at the 4 will speed up the offense which could open up more scoring opportunities. Also he does have a bit more time on his side at the age of 25 entering his 6th season in the NBA.

Again not saying he’s not a good player. I just don’t think he’s great from an offensive standpoint.

What do you think?

[BallerScriptParticipant]

 Monta Ellis will hopefully carry some of the offensive load this season and allow George to play off the ball more often. I agree he is a great player but he will most likely not become a top scorer.

[BallerScriptParticipant]

 Monta Ellis will hopefully carry some of the offensive load this season and allow George to play off the ball more often. I agree he is a great player but he will most likely not become a top scorer.

[JR RyderParticipant]

His ceiling was basically Rudy Gay with better defense, which is pretty damn impressive.

[JR RyderParticipant]

His ceiling was basically Rudy Gay with better defense, which is pretty damn impressive.

[kobyzParticipant]

 I see him as closest thing to Grant Hill, people underrating his improving ability to create with the ball…

[Dazzling Dunks and Basketball BloopersParticipant]

 He actually isn’t anything like grant hill, especially offensively. Hes much more reliant on his outside shooting. Hill in his prime could get to the basket at will and was an outstanding passer. He consistently averaged between 6 and 8 apg every year. He was never a guy that took a lot of outside shots. George isn’t the playmaker that hill was, not even close, and doesnt finish as well around the basket. He is a much better shooter from the outside though.

[kobyzParticipant]

 He is very similar to Grant! but you right in one point, only with better range!! Paul like Hill is great all around and smooth offensive player that improve his playmakeing ability to the point he was basiclly run the Pacers PG position ala Lebron before his injury… Stop underrating George!!

[JR RyderParticipant]

Your nuts to compare George to Grant Hill, their game were nothing alike. Hill barely attempted 3 pointers during his prime, he was mainly a penetrator, while George used his 3 point range to set up his offense. Hill also had PG like vision.

[esperanzafleet69Participant]

 i really want to clarify this grant hill stuff.. 

 

to compare hill to  Paul George is just looking at similar numbers for 1 year of stats..  they truly were very different players. 

 Grant hill was a bigtime slasher that could basically will his way to any dunk he needed, post up on even the bigger PF’s at the time, and do anything else you needed him to. He was Quick for his size, and personally won games with his defense. He was a stat stuffer in ever sense of the term, a lot like lebron is now. i think grant hill easily could have been a top 3 or 4 player of all time had he never gotten injured. 

His late 90’s years with the pistons were insane.

 

 
 

 

 

[esperanzafleet69Participant]

 i really want to clarify this grant hill stuff.. 

 

to compare hill to  Paul George is just looking at similar numbers for 1 year of stats..  they truly were very different players. 

 Grant hill was a bigtime slasher that could basically will his way to any dunk he needed, post up on even the bigger PF’s at the time, and do anything else you needed him to. He was Quick for his size, and personally won games with his defense. He was a stat stuffer in ever sense of the term, a lot like lebron is now. i think grant hill easily could have been a top 3 or 4 player of all time had he never gotten injured. 

His late 90’s years with the pistons were insane.

 

 
 

 

 

[JR RyderParticipant]

Your nuts to compare George to Grant Hill, their game were nothing alike. Hill barely attempted 3 pointers during his prime, he was mainly a penetrator, while George used his 3 point range to set up his offense. Hill also had PG like vision.

[kobyzParticipant]

 He is very similar to Grant! but you right in one point, only with better range!! Paul like Hill is great all around and smooth offensive player that improve his playmakeing ability to the point he was basiclly run the Pacers PG position ala Lebron before his injury… Stop underrating George!!

[Dazzling Dunks and Basketball BloopersParticipant]

 He actually isn’t anything like grant hill, especially offensively. Hes much more reliant on his outside shooting. Hill in his prime could get to the basket at will and was an outstanding passer. He consistently averaged between 6 and 8 apg every year. He was never a guy that took a lot of outside shots. George isn’t the playmaker that hill was, not even close, and doesnt finish as well around the basket. He is a much better shooter from the outside though.

[kobyzParticipant]

 I see him as closest thing to Grant Hill, people underrating his improving ability to create with the ball…

[mgreener_34Participant]

 I hate when I hear the "I don’t think you can win a championship with him as the 1st option on offense" bull. Most teams in the NBA would die to have PG13 as their #1 option, and we’ve already seen the Pacers go extremely far with him as the #1. Looking back at history, or even just modern NBA, there are very few players who win championships, so its unfair to knock George for not being on that level. LeBron, Wade, Kobe, Durant, Dirk, Pierce (Probably the worst of the bunch in terms of scoring, and I think he wasn’t a legit legit #1 like some of these guys were when they won), and Duncan are the only players who have led their teams to the promised land as the clear #1 (I assume we all agree KD is a legit #1 Superstar right? So I can add him to that list), and all of those guys are future first ballot HoF, and were the best players of their generation. Holding George up to them is a little to much, and expecting that of him is even worse. 

You can def. will a title with George as your #1, but you need other players to help carry the load, kind of like Pierce in 2008, and Kobe in 2010. We saw Steph be a #1 option, but he needed other players on his team to step up and take over to win his ring, and the same is needed for Paul George. Watching those Heat games with Hill vertually being useless and Hibbert not being able to score was terrible! Go back a little further the first time those guys played in the ECF when Hibbert was a consistent scoring option, and all of a sudden Paul George looks like a superstar going toe to toe with LeBron. 

[DolanCareParticipant]

 I appreciate your defense of Paul George, but I don’t think you can say ‘you can definitely win a title with George as your #1’. Especially since there is a lot of indication that you cannot.

The Pacers team that got so much acclaim barely squeaked by the Hawks in the first round and ended up being a match-up nightmare for the Heat in the ECF. Since that push for the Finals that squad really did struggle to produce offense. 

I love Paul George’s versatility and skillset, but it very well might be better suited in a secondary offensive role. Even if that simply means someone else is the primary scorer and thus the initiator of the offense. 

 

[DolanCareParticipant]

 I appreciate your defense of Paul George, but I don’t think you can say ‘you can definitely win a title with George as your #1’. Especially since there is a lot of indication that you cannot.

The Pacers team that got so much acclaim barely squeaked by the Hawks in the first round and ended up being a match-up nightmare for the Heat in the ECF. Since that push for the Finals that squad really did struggle to produce offense. 

I love Paul George’s versatility and skillset, but it very well might be better suited in a secondary offensive role. Even if that simply means someone else is the primary scorer and thus the initiator of the offense. 

 

[mgreener_34Participant]

 I hate when I hear the "I don’t think you can win a championship with him as the 1st option on offense" bull. Most teams in the NBA would die to have PG13 as their #1 option, and we’ve already seen the Pacers go extremely far with him as the #1. Looking back at history, or even just modern NBA, there are very few players who win championships, so its unfair to knock George for not being on that level. LeBron, Wade, Kobe, Durant, Dirk, Pierce (Probably the worst of the bunch in terms of scoring, and I think he wasn’t a legit legit #1 like some of these guys were when they won), and Duncan are the only players who have led their teams to the promised land as the clear #1 (I assume we all agree KD is a legit #1 Superstar right? So I can add him to that list), and all of those guys are future first ballot HoF, and were the best players of their generation. Holding George up to them is a little to much, and expecting that of him is even worse. 

You can def. will a title with George as your #1, but you need other players to help carry the load, kind of like Pierce in 2008, and Kobe in 2010. We saw Steph be a #1 option, but he needed other players on his team to step up and take over to win his ring, and the same is needed for Paul George. Watching those Heat games with Hill vertually being useless and Hibbert not being able to score was terrible! Go back a little further the first time those guys played in the ECF when Hibbert was a consistent scoring option, and all of a sudden Paul George looks like a superstar going toe to toe with LeBron. 

[Jr. ROXASParticipant]

I agree. One main flaw I see in his game is that he is not a strong driver or aggresove driver. That’s where he differs from T-Mac. When Tmac drives, it’s with force. And he has a lot of go-to reverse layups/acrobatic shots.

 Paul George, at least for me, does not use his athleticsm  to its full potential. He too often settles for pull-up jumpers and 3s. He does not often use his athletiscm to finish over defenders. George sometimes really looks lazy around the court especially on offense. He is still one of the game’s brightest stars though, and given his age, I see he can work on his flaws easy.

[Jr. ROXASParticipant]

I agree. One main flaw I see in his game is that he is not a strong driver or aggresove driver. That’s where he differs from T-Mac. When Tmac drives, it’s with force. And he has a lot of go-to reverse layups/acrobatic shots.

 Paul George, at least for me, does not use his athleticsm  to its full potential. He too often settles for pull-up jumpers and 3s. He does not often use his athletiscm to finish over defenders. George sometimes really looks lazy around the court especially on offense. He is still one of the game’s brightest stars though, and given his age, I see he can work on his flaws easy.

[_PumpDaddy12Participant]

 Paul has developed his offensive game very well over the years but lets not forget before he developed a respectable jumper he was a defensive specialist. To this day he still plays harder on the defensive side which in turn makes him an inconsistent offensive threat especially when you take in mind he wants to guard the opposite teams best wing an is expected to score 25+ppg. I think with the edition of Monta it will allow him to let the game come to him without so much pressure of being the only real creator. I also feel the postion change will force him to use his athleticism with the many mismatches he’ll see. I can see him having a year along the tune of 24ppg 7 reb and 4 ast.

[_PumpDaddy12Participant]

 Paul has developed his offensive game very well over the years but lets not forget before he developed a respectable jumper he was a defensive specialist. To this day he still plays harder on the defensive side which in turn makes him an inconsistent offensive threat especially when you take in mind he wants to guard the opposite teams best wing an is expected to score 25+ppg. I think with the edition of Monta it will allow him to let the game come to him without so much pressure of being the only real creator. I also feel the postion change will force him to use his athleticism with the many mismatches he’ll see. I can see him having a year along the tune of 24ppg 7 reb and 4 ast.

[IndianaBasketballParticipant]

It’s all subjective, but I disagree. Paul George has already led the Pacers to two straight Conference Finals as the Pacers’ top offensive option. 

The thing about George is that he gets better every season. His ball handling, in between game, low post game… All gets better. He has that quality that the greats have in that he literally gets better every summer. It’s all opinion, but there was no doubt in my mind that he was going to set the league on fire last season. After a summer of improvement, plus playing with Team USA. His confidence was ridiculous before that leg injury. 

I feel that the Pacers offense has held him back. No spacing. No good screens. No real ball movement. No transition buckets. Vogel’s offense has just been absolutely horrid. With a better offense, I expect George’s numbers/efficiency to go up. 

I’m just not ready to say you can’t win with George as your #1 option. With the right team around him, I definitely think the Pacers can. 

[IndianaBasketballParticipant]

It’s all subjective, but I disagree. Paul George has already led the Pacers to two straight Conference Finals as the Pacers’ top offensive option. 

The thing about George is that he gets better every season. His ball handling, in between game, low post game… All gets better. He has that quality that the greats have in that he literally gets better every summer. It’s all opinion, but there was no doubt in my mind that he was going to set the league on fire last season. After a summer of improvement, plus playing with Team USA. His confidence was ridiculous before that leg injury. 

I feel that the Pacers offense has held him back. No spacing. No good screens. No real ball movement. No transition buckets. Vogel’s offense has just been absolutely horrid. With a better offense, I expect George’s numbers/efficiency to go up. 

I’m just not ready to say you can’t win with George as your #1 option. With the right team around him, I definitely think the Pacers can. 

[festar35Participant]

No where is it written your #1 scoring option needs to average 25ppg+ a game.

I can see what people are saying and George is more than capable of being the main offensive weapon and scoring 21-23ppg a game being that person. Ellis, G.Hill(needs to remain aggressive) Stuckey, Miles and even Turner to a point will provide George with the best supporting cast offensively he has had. Teams will have to key in on other players for a change, no one was rushing out at West, Hibbert, Stephenson or even Hill they could focus in on Paul George and make things difficult, he will have room to operate and a the team is being built with him in mind.

As for the Rudy Gay comparison I don’t hate it, but the similarity is their build and the way they score. George in every other category is better. Defensively no doubt, but he also is a better rebounder, passer and his handles are improving so it should allow him to drive to the hoop more.

I am an unapologetic PG fan, but he is every bit good enough to be a #1 option on a Championship team.

[festar35Participant]

No where is it written your #1 scoring option needs to average 25ppg+ a game.

I can see what people are saying and George is more than capable of being the main offensive weapon and scoring 21-23ppg a game being that person. Ellis, G.Hill(needs to remain aggressive) Stuckey, Miles and even Turner to a point will provide George with the best supporting cast offensively he has had. Teams will have to key in on other players for a change, no one was rushing out at West, Hibbert, Stephenson or even Hill they could focus in on Paul George and make things difficult, he will have room to operate and a the team is being built with him in mind.

As for the Rudy Gay comparison I don’t hate it, but the similarity is their build and the way they score. George in every other category is better. Defensively no doubt, but he also is a better rebounder, passer and his handles are improving so it should allow him to drive to the hoop more.

I am an unapologetic PG fan, but he is every bit good enough to be a #1 option on a Championship team.

[Memphisboy14Participant]

 I like Paul George but I will concede that maybe Frank Vogel’s old system held him back. We’ll see those season. Hopefully he proves me wrong.

[Memphisboy14Participant]

 I like Paul George but I will concede that maybe Frank Vogel’s old system held him back. We’ll see those season. Hopefully he proves me wrong.

[HeroescantdieParticipant]

 I think his the ultimate 2nd option, for me a guy like him will be better 2nd option in a dynasty team. Although he can carried the pacers to conference finals against the heat and the series is so close. 

[HeroescantdieParticipant]

 I think his the ultimate 2nd option, for me a guy like him will be better 2nd option in a dynasty team. Although he can carried the pacers to conference finals against the heat and the series is so close. 

[BiggysmallsParticipant]

Pacers have won quite a bit with him as the team’s first option. 29 teams don’t win the NBA Finals every year. 

This reminds me of the old arguments about KLove being the best PF. The pro KLove guys would say he’s the best PF in the game. The anti-Love guys would say, he’s not a No.1 option on a winning team. At the time, neither party was wrong, but neither argument is mutually exclusive. 

George may not be the prototypical No.1 option on a championship level team, but if he’s healthy, there aren’t 15 guys I’d take ahead of him to start my team.

 

 

[BiggysmallsParticipant]

Pacers have won quite a bit with him as the team’s first option. 29 teams don’t win the NBA Finals every year. 

This reminds me of the old arguments about KLove being the best PF. The pro KLove guys would say he’s the best PF in the game. The anti-Love guys would say, he’s not a No.1 option on a winning team. At the time, neither party was wrong, but neither argument is mutually exclusive. 

George may not be the prototypical No.1 option on a championship level team, but if he’s healthy, there aren’t 15 guys I’d take ahead of him to start my team.

 

 

[Stephen A. BaylessParticipant]

I think it just depends on a person’s definition. PG could definitely win a title as the best player and leading scorer on the "right" team.

Now if you’re expecting him to single handedly carry the offense game in and game out, dominate down the stretch and 4th quarters and having the burden that if he doesn’t play great on that end, his team will lose then he’s not yet shown he’s capable of that. 

The good news is that recently really only LeBron, Dirk, Kobe have won championships with that type of #1 Option burden and still needed talented effective guys around them. Of course he’s not at that level yet (probably won’t ever be but you never know).

 

[Stephen A. BaylessParticipant]

I think it just depends on a person’s definition. PG could definitely win a title as the best player and leading scorer on the "right" team.

Now if you’re expecting him to single handedly carry the offense game in and game out, dominate down the stretch and 4th quarters and having the burden that if he doesn’t play great on that end, his team will lose then he’s not yet shown he’s capable of that. 

The good news is that recently really only LeBron, Dirk, Kobe have won championships with that type of #1 Option burden and still needed talented effective guys around them. Of course he’s not at that level yet (probably won’t ever be but you never know).

 

[HitsterParticipant]

 Paul pre Injury looked as if he was becoming a legit Franchise level player – making the All Star game, All NBA 3rd Team, All NBA Defensive First Team and had helped the Pacers to two successive Conference Finals. That ia a very impressive resume to achieve by the age of just 24.

He sadly then had the serious leg injury but returned late last year and with a full pre-season and another 6 months recovery, should hopefully get back to his best fairly soon.

The one thing I could say about Paul George that he may need to improve on is his scoring, he has only had 1 season above 20ppg in his career and is only a 15ppg career scorer. But he has only played effectively 4 full seasons and his rookie year was mainly spent as a bench guy.

He may not be the sort of player who can take over the game down the stretch and almost carry the team to victory single handed but thoe guys you can probably count on one hand.

With his length he is an awkward match up and if he can improve his shooting even more, he can be a regular 20ppg scorer across the next few years if he stays sound.

 

 

 

 

[HitsterParticipant]

 Paul pre Injury looked as if he was becoming a legit Franchise level player – making the All Star game, All NBA 3rd Team, All NBA Defensive First Team and had helped the Pacers to two successive Conference Finals. That ia a very impressive resume to achieve by the age of just 24.

He sadly then had the serious leg injury but returned late last year and with a full pre-season and another 6 months recovery, should hopefully get back to his best fairly soon.

The one thing I could say about Paul George that he may need to improve on is his scoring, he has only had 1 season above 20ppg in his career and is only a 15ppg career scorer. But he has only played effectively 4 full seasons and his rookie year was mainly spent as a bench guy.

He may not be the sort of player who can take over the game down the stretch and almost carry the team to victory single handed but thoe guys you can probably count on one hand.

With his length he is an awkward match up and if he can improve his shooting even more, he can be a regular 20ppg scorer across the next few years if he stays sound.

 

 

 

 

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