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West, Watson Set to Make Debuts

Black Friday brought good news for the Indiana Pacers, who are finally starting to get healthy.  

Head coach Frank Vogel told the media at Friday morning's shootaround that power forward David West and point guard C.J. Watson will return to Indiana's lineup on Friday night against the Orlando Magic. Both West (sprained right ankle) and Watson (bruised right foot) had missed the first 15 games of the regular season.

Both players returned to practice in the last week or so. They aren't on any minutes restriction Friday night, though the coaching staff will monitor their conditioning level.

"Obviously, you can’t simulate game (speed)," West said after Friday's shootaround. "We’ll see. I just want to come out (and) get my timing and try to be aggressive, just help the guys while I’m out there on the floor."

Vogel said West will start at power forward. Watson will backup Donald Sloan at point guard, getting the minutes that had gone to A.J. Price, who the Pacers officially waived Friday after their hardship exemption waiver expired.

West's return shouldn't immediately bump anyone from the rotation. Center Roy Hibbert will miss a third straight game with a sprained left ankle, so Ian Mahinmi will start at center and Lavoy Allen will back him up. When Hibbert returns, one of Mahinmi, Allen, or Luis Scola will likely fall out of the rotation.

West's addition should provide the Blue-and-Gold with a major lift on the offensive end. The 34-year-old forward has a career field goal percentage of .491 and has ranked second on the team in scoring and rebounding in each of the past three seasons. This year, the undermanned Pacers have struggled offensively, ranking 27th in scoring and 26th in field goal percentage despite topping 100 points and 46 percent in their past two games.

"We’ll see how he looks out there," Vogel said. "He’s looked pretty good the last couple times that he’s played...Hopefully he gives us a big lift."

Added forward Solomon Hill: "It’s his first game in some weeks, so hopefully we can go out there, get him as many reps as he needs, try to see if he can get a rhythm back. It definitely won’t happen overnight, but it’s definitely great to add a major piece to our team again."

West said he was hopeful that he won't have too much rust after not playing in a game for over a month (he originally injured the ankle in the third quarter of a preseason game against the Dallas Mavericks on Oct. 18). He acknowledged that he'll be asked to shoulder a heavy load offensively, but he feels up for the challenge.

"I’m just going to play," West said. "I know who I am, so I’m not going to go out there and try to reinvent the wheel or anything."

West said his biggest focus coming back is being vocal and making sure he does what he can to help the team achieve proper spacing on both ends of the floor. After Friday's shootaround, for instance, West spent some time going over pick-and-roll options with Sloan.

West will share the floor with several younger players like Sloan and Hill who weren't in the rotation last year, as well as new additions like Rodney Stuckey, C.J. Miles, and Damjan Rudez. That lack of familiarity will make communication key.

Both Hill and Stuckey said they didn't think it would take much time for West and Watson to gel with their teammates, pointing out that both players already know the system. Hill also drew a comparison to how quickly Price was able to contribute after joining the team five games into the season.

Though they haven't been able to play, West and Watson have been fixtures at every team practice, as have George Hill and Paul George, who both remain sidelined. West expressed admiration for how well the young and undermanned Pacers have played in recent weeks. After a 1-6 start, Indiana has won five of its last eight games, including road wins over Miami, Chicago, and Dallas.

"They compete," West said. "They play hard. And we’ve been in a bunch of games. We’ve been very close. Like the other night in San Antonio, just didn’t have enough to finish, didn’t execute well enough to finish. But in terms of competing and the level of energy and aggressiveness that the guys played with, it’s very encouraging."

The support and encouragement from West, the unquestioned leader of the Pacers locker room, hasn't gone unnoticed. Even in a time of great instability physically, West has been the Pacers' rock off the court.

"He’s always there, regardless of how he is physically," Hill said. "If he’s in a suit or in a jersey, he’s always there for us."