The Indiana Pacers have star forward Paul George wanting to yell out “Serenity now!” to the heavens.
George opened up after practice on Thursday about just how frustrating Indiana’s 2016-17 campaign has been thus far.
“It hasn’t been (fun). We’re trying to work through it,” George said, per Shane Young of bballbreakdown.com. “It’s been one of the most frustrating seasons I’ve been a part of. If I don’t approach it to be myself, to enjoy the process, to enjoy the grind … it’s not only going to show on the court, but more so it’ll show in the locker room. This is our work environment, and you know, everybody’s got to enjoy coming to work.
“I just have to continue to enjoy playing this game,” the three-time All-Star continued. “I’ve been caught up with officials, getting caught up with on-court stuff. And losing sight of how fun this game is to me. As long as I’m approaching each game to enjoy it … whatever happens on the court, I (couldn’t) care less. As long as I’m having fun and enjoying what I’m doing.”
The Pacers currently own a 16-18 record on the year and are on the outside of the Eastern Conference playoff picture looking in. George was hopeful before the season began that the team could assemble a higher-octane offense under new head coach Nate McMillan, but their 102.5 offensive rating clocks in at just 20th in the league (per NBA.com).
At times, it’s easy to see George’s frustration manifest itself, whether it be through on-court incidents like this or through comments critical of the officiating like this. Granted, it wasn’t too long ago that George was leading Indiana teams that were winning 50-plus games a year and giving grief in the Eastern Conference Finals to the Big Three era Miami Heat. Those visions of the past may be a significant contributor to his disappointment with how this season is playing out. But nevertheless, the responsbility is on George as a leader of the team to keep his focus intact and his emotions in check as the Pacers attempt to reverse their fortunes and recapture that magic of old.
H/T theScore
