Paul George has finally broken the ice and returned to active duty for the Indiana Pacers.
George made a successful return to the hardwood Sunday when the Pacers hosted the visiting Miami Heat. George made his first appearance at the 5:34 mark of the first quarter to a standing ovation.
He played for only 15 minutes but managed to chip in 13 points to help his team to a 112-89 rout of the Miami Heat.
And apparently, fans and co-players were very happy to see the Pacer star back in action, eight months after that horrific injury which saw him sustain a compound fracture of his tibia and fibula.
Despite George's return, the Pacers are not expected to push George back into the starring role he had before. George will still need further rehab for his leg and much of it will be done in the Summer.
George would have played as early as Friday against the Charlotte Hornets but management showed some concern on a slight limp that he had. Apparently the Pacers were looking out for the future of George and risking him at this stage could be disastrous.
At the moment, the Pacers are in 9th place of the NBA Eastern Conference standings (34-43) and are tied with the Miami Heat. They are just one game below the Boston Celtics and the Brooklyn Nets, meaning they still have a chance at making a go for the sixth to eighth seeds.
The Pacers can try and win all their remaining games and monitor how the Nets, Celtics and Heat fare as well. And even if the Pacers do make it, don't expect them to force George into re-assuming his role.
As stressed, George's re-insertion is more of a break-in for him. He is still not 100% and he will only be used between 10 to 15 minutes to get into the groove of the game.
Coming from a delicate and traumatic injury, George may not necessarily be up to the task though deep inside, you know he wants to do more than he can.
