The injured star player gave a lecture on communication and sharing on Thursday, a message that inspired his teammates on Friday. On Saturday, the conversation turned toward maintaining that approach on Sunday and further ahead, after the star returns.
The Pacers put six players in double figures and shot 60 percent from the field for most of the game in their 118-97 victory over Brooklyn at Bankers Life Fieldhouse Friday night, the kind of balanced effort they'll need if they're to fare well against the Clippers on Sunday or on the five-game Western road trip that follows.
It pleased coach Nate McMillan, who's been preaching that style of play all season, and it pleased Paul George, the leading scorer who has sat out four of the last five games with a sore ankle and/or back, and will sit out the next two as well.
George called his teammates together after their Thanksgiving Day practice to talk offense, after taking offense to Wednesday night's 96-85 loss to Atlanta, a game in which the Pacers executed poorly for a second straight home game.
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He didn't know at the time if he would be playing on Friday. He had hit just just 6-of-22 shots against the Hawks, a game he entered with a sore ankle that had kept him out of the three previous games and left with a sore lower back, the result of taking a charge. Regardless, he wanted to get a message across.
"We need to communicate in every facet of the game," he said Saturday, when he sat out practice but was upbeat and energetic during his post-practice shooting. "We communicate on defense, we should be able to communicate on offense. We get stagnant at times because we're not talking. Coach is giving us freedom to play the game, but we're not getting anything accomplished if we're not talking to each other. We need to utilize what Coach is giving us."
Defensive communication, such as calling out screens or calling switches identifying weakside help, is essential to get through a possession. Offensive communication is more about staying on the same page and setting up the next possession. "Stay in that corner, I'll come back to you." "Look for me backdoor." "Post up your guy, I'll get it to you."
"I thought we were great last night," George said. "They took it to heart. We still have plays where we get a little stagnant. I thought they didn't let that take them out of offense. They were still moving the ball, still looking to make second-side plays. That's what got them 60 percent last night."
The Pacers will have to continue that approach after George returns from taking time out to completely heal his injuries, likely for the game in Los Angeles against the Clippers on Dec. 4. They are 2-3 without him, 6-6 with him, and 4-0 when he hits at least half of his field goal attempts. That's the result of teammates getting him the right shots within the offense, and him not forcing any. They need him to be playing at his peak All-Star caliber, but also within the offense.
He's all for trying to walk that fine line, but it will take time for everyone to grow accustomed to that approach and to one another. That process has been delayed by the addition of six new players in the off-season, two of them starters, and the necessity of five different starting lineups because of injuries.
"I've always tried to be pass-first and have that mentality," George said. "I've always tried to move (the ball). If I don't have a quick shot or a catch-and-go, I try to move it. It has to start with me. I can't be talking about passing and then being the one holding it."
"We have to figure out a good balance," added point guard Jeff Teague. "We've never had a chance to really gel with the injuries. Going forward, he wants to play like that and the whole team does. We're still trying to grow as a team."
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The fate of George's scoring and the Pacers' offense lies mostly in the hands of Teague, who is showing more comfort in his role. Teague was one point, one rebound and two assists short of his first triple-double against Brooklyn, despite playing less than 25 minutes, and is pushing his stats toward his career norms after a slow start to the season. He's averaging 15 points, 6.6 assists, 4 rebounds and 2.1 steals in 17 games. Last season in Atlanta, he averaged 15.7 points, 5.9 assists, 2.7 rebounds and 1.2 steals. He's shooting just 41 percent from the field, but has hit 48 percent of his shots over the last 12 games.
"I thought he did a good job of setting up his teammates, and got himself involved more," McMillan said. "He was aggressive, picked his spots and set up teammates, and play good defense; he got up and pressured more."
Teague is having to learn to play more off the ball, after having almost sole control of initiating the offense in Atlanta. With the Pacers, Monta Ellis shares some of the responsibility, requiring Teague to play off the ball more often. That's a good thing, if he can get close to his 40 percent 3-point percentage of last season. He said he hasn't played that way since his final season at Wake Forest eight years ago, but is developing more chemistry with backcourt partner Monta Ellis.
"The biggest thing I want him to know coming here he doesn't have to put that pressure on himself night in and night out to be our primary ballhandler, our primary playmaker," George said. "He should have opportunities to have guys closing out at him, off the bounce where he's got a live catch instead of having to (dribble) and go into moves to get a free shot. We're just trying to get him as comfortable as possible with this group."
The same could be said for everyone else. Friday's victory was a step toward comfort, but larger strides have to be made after George returns.
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