Pacers coach Frank Vogel and Larry Bird both want to play at a faster pace next season.
In the midst of discussing the teams’ recent addition, Texas center Myles Turner via the 2015 NBA Draft, Pacers coach Frank Vogel provided an update on the face of the Indiana Pacers, Paul George.
“His calf is healed,” Vogel said. “His leg is healed. He’s claiming to be 100 percent. He looks really good, and I’m just saying if you talk to him. If you watch him in half-court workouts right now, the amount that he was favoring (the calf) at the end of the year, which was noticeable and expected, he’s not favoring it right now. He looks really good.”
George strained his left calf in the final minute of the Pacers’ regular-season finale in Memphis.
“He’s in L.A. right now but he’s been back as recently as this past week,” Vogel continued. “He’s looked really good in individual workouts. Obviously, training camp and two-a-days — that’ s a different story. He still has a long way to go. He’s looking really good right now.”
[VIDEO: Pacers coach Frank Vogel on drafting Myles Turner]
Vogel noted that George has no restrictions. (George said the same back on June 4th.) Both Vogel and team President Larry Bird explained in April their intentions to play faster next season. George is on board and looking forward to getting some time in at a new position as the league continues to evolve.
“There’s very strong interest in our organization, mainly with Larry and myself, of playing smaller, playing Paul George at the ‘4’ more,” Vogel said.
“He has bulked up some with his year off. But, look, we’re not looking to turn him into Zach Randolph or some of these bulky power forwards. We’re playing him at the ‘4’ to win that matchup because we feel he can win that matchup in terms of battling some of the big guys that he will be matched up with. Winning the matchup on the other end by being extremely difficult to guard.”
George, who suffered a compound fracture on August 1 of last year, plans to participate in USA Basketball mini-camp August 11-13 in Las Vegas.