The Indiana Pacers are a going to be a very different looking team this season compared to the last few. Gone are Roy Hibbert and David West, and in is Monta Ellis. Because of the changes that have taken place to the roster, the team might have to use different lineup combinations, one of which would involve Paul George playing power forward, according to CBSSports.com.
George came into the NBA as a shooting guard due to Danny Granger's presence on the Pacers but has since taken over as the small forward. While he still might see most of his time at the three this season, Pacers president Larry Bird reportedly thinks George will play a lot of minutes at the four.
The thinking behind giving George minutes at the four is that other power forwards won't be able to guard him, but there are a lot of questions about whether he should be put in that position. While George might have a huge advantage on offense as a power forward, he would likely be at a big disadvantage on defense trying to guard bigger and stronger guys. George is an elite defensive player, but that's typically against wing players and guards. Putting him at the four would force him to have to guard players like Chris Bosh, Zach Randolph and Kevin Love in the post.
Another major concern with George potentially playing power forward is his health. George missed the majority of last season after suffering a gruesome leg injury with Team USA last summer and was only able to play in six games after recovering. In his first full season back from the injury, to have George inside banging bodies with big guys for rebounds is a big risk, but Bird doesn't seem too concerned about it.
As of right now the Pacers have three guys that are locked into the starting lineup - George, Ellis and George Hill - while the other two spots are up for grabs. Before Bird made these comments about George playing power forward it would have been assumed that two big guys would be starting along with those three, but now it's less certain. The options to start are centers Jordan Hill and Ian Mahinmi, power forwards Myles Turner and Lavoy Allen, or guard C.J. Miles. If Miles makes his way into the starting lineup, George would be the starting power forward, but either way odds are they will be on the floor at the same time often, and George will see his fair share of minutes at power forward should Bird have his way.
