George rewrites legacy after injury
He’s returned to form after a gruesome leg fracture in 2014
LAS VEGAS, Nev. — The sequence initially seemed like the perfect example of the effort Team USA coach Mike Krzyzewski wanted to see from his players to prove their selflessness on a talented group.
In an intrasquad scrimmage in August 2014, Paul George chased down James Harden and appeared to be in position to swat away Harden’s fastbreak layup attempt. Then something happened that left many at UNLV’s Thomas & Mack Center horrified.
George buckled his right leg after landing awkwardly at the base of the basket stanchion. He laid on the floor helplessly, while trainers quickly determined he suffered an open tibia-fibula fracture to his right leg. He was carted off the court while strapped to a gurney. The injury cost George a chance to play in the 2014 FIBA World Championships and kept him off the court for all but the final eight games of the 2014-15 NBA regular season with the Indiana Pacers.
The 6-foot-10 George returned to form last season, leading the Pacers back to the playoffs and averaging 23.1 points and 7 rebounds while earning third-team All-NBA and second-team All-Defensive honors. Now he’s back training with the U.S. Olympic team for the Rio de Janiero Olympics, which serves as a reminder of his gruesome injury.
“It’s one of the great stories of this group,” said Jerry Colangelo, USA Basketball’s managing director. “When you think back to the tragedy when the injury took place, no one could have projected where he would be. And was his career over? Was his career going to be limited because of the injury? Would he ever come back fully? And to see him back and to see what he’s accomplished back in the league, it’s like he didn’t miss a beat.”
Krzyzewski and George said they have resisted openly addressing the injury for one simple season.
“I had the mindset that anytime I was on that court,” George said, “I wasn’t going to be thinking about the injury.”
In Team USA’s 111-74 victory over Argentina in Friday’s exhibition opener, George had 18 points on 7-for-11 shooting and two steals in 16 minutes off the bench.
“I just wanted to come out here and play well and get this win,” George said. “There were a lot of emotions, I’m not going to lie. The guys in the locker room did a great job of making sure I was good when I came out on this floor.”
George typically plays small forward, but he can play (and defend) the backcourt positions too. With Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson picking up early fouls against Argentina, George played at guard. Krzyzewski said he has considered experimenting with that even when foul trouble does not dictate it. He seems likely to be this team’s sixth man and a valuable contributor.
“He’s playing the best basketball of his life right now,” Krzyzewski said. “He’s a very gifted athlete. To see him come back like this, he’s a really good guy to coach. You can play him everywhere.”
No matter which position he plays, George has not allowed the leg injury to inhibit his aggressiveness.
“It’s behind me. I don’t play the game expecting to get hurt,” George said. “I know it’s a possibility. But there’s no thought in my mind I’m going to get hurt. I play this game because I love it. I just play hard.”
George took a guarantee made by Colangelo shortly after the injury that there would be a spot waiting for him on the Olympic team, then proved he belonged anyway.
“It was meant to be an incentive for him,” Colangelo said. “But when you see it’s actually happened and he’s earned it in every way, this is not a gift here. He’s literally earned this spot. It’s just a lot of extra love involved in this one. So we’re very happy for him, and it’s great to have him here.”
The injury has altered George’s perspective. After a long stretch of monotonous rehab, he has come to appreciate “all the little stuff,” including training camp and two-aday sessions. He also acknowledged the symbolism behind his return to Team USA.
“This was definitely a huge step for me, personally,” George said. “But as a whole, it’s winning that gold (medal).”