Last summer the Pacers traded away defensive anchor Roy Hibbert and veteran big man, David West left for the contenders in San Antonio. Things were changing in Indiana. Things only became more uncertain when Indiana signed a bunch of small guards rather than any new big men. Finally, Larry Bird told the world Paul George would be playing as their power forward. No one knew what to make of Indiana. One thing was for sure, this was going to be an entirely different team.

Things have been different and in the best way. The Indiana Pacers are absolutely on fire from three point range while still holding onto a top 10 defense without any legitimate big men. Instead of David West at the four, Paul George and CJ Miles are bombing away as undersized power forwards and they’re absolutely torching offenses from the three point line. CJ Miles is shooting 43% while George is shooting 45%. The numbers aren’t likely to last an entire season but it’s quite the accomplishment either way. The only real big men Indiana is using in their line ups is a revolving door of Ian Mahinmi, Jordan Hill, and Lavoy Allen. They shouldn’t be this good on defense and yet they are. How are they doing it? Good coaching and a career year from PG13, Paul George.

George had a gruesome leg injury in the summer of 2014 that kept him out the entire next season. The Pacers struggled to score without him and the Pacers hoped he could come back and play at the same level after the serious injury. They bet heavily on him by gutting the team and boy has it paid off. George is better than ever. He has never shot so well. His shooting stroke even looks better. This is a guy that came back hungry and wanted to remind everyone just how good he is. George is still eating up defenses with his solid mid range jumpers and drives to the basket but his hot shooting from the three point line has transformed his game. That’s not even taking into account his usual incredible defense. There’s only two other players who are as dominant on both ends of the floor, Lebron James and Kawhi Leonard and George is larger than both. George is also boasting a ridiculous 26.1 PER (second in the league!) while being a nightmare long armed defender.

Paul George started off the season expressing his disinterest in playing at the power forward spot but the Pacers didn’t care. He played well but his numbers weren’t too efficient. Coach Frank Vogel put Paul George back in the three spot and there’s been no going back since. George is torching defenders with efficient numbers. The team has still been playing plenty of small ball but with CJ Miles at the power forward spot instead and it has worked out quite well. The Indiana Pacers are one of the few teams who are both top 10 in offense and defense. They’re doing this despite their only big free agent signing, Monta Ellis, struggling so far.

The Eastern Conference is more competitive this season but the Pacers have stayed in playoff contention throughout the first quarter of the season. Paul George has established himself as the leader of this new Indiana team. He plays hard on both ends of the floor every night and the offense runs through him despite the new tweaks. PG13 is tearing apart other players and there’s nothing they can do about it. A 6’10 player with that kind of athleticism is a nightmare match-up. George is averaging 28 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists. It’s not all great, however. PG13 is also turning the ball over at a career high rate but for a player who snapped his leg in half and runs a lot of the offense, it’s not too bad.

George has come back with a vengeance and you can bet other teams have noticed. The Pacers aren’t a contending team just yet. They struggle playing Rodney Stuckey and Monta Ellis together in this pace and space offense since neither is a great shooter. Paying a near combined 18 million a year for two guards playing at the same position is a bit redundant. George Hill and Ellis haven’t established the great chemistry everyone envisioned either. The Pacers are also bottom 10 in rebounding now that they don’t have any dominant big men. The Pacers have plenty of time to work on chemistry and should look into trading Stuckey now that he’s no longer a large part of their offense. Also, look for the Pacers to try and sign a legitimate big man this off-season possibly targeting Festus Ezeli. Ezeli would be a great defender to protect the paint and the Pacers can surround him with four shooters now. They could also possibly try and sign Ryan Anderson to have a real power forward stretching the floor.

The Pacers have a ton of cap room and will look to build this team towards a modern NBA offense. The 2016 free agent class is a little weak so this is a team probably another two years away from contending for a championship. Nobody expected the Pacers to bounce back so fast so expect them to continue exploring how to improve this team in George’s prime.