Could Paul George return this season?

Photo Credit: IndyStar.com

The leg injury Indiana Pacers star Paul George suffered at a Team USA scrimmage this summer was horrific. Almost immediately, people figured George would miss the entire 2014-15 season, and there were some concerned about the state of his career. It was that bad.

But George continues to progress in his rehab, and crazily enough, there’s still a chance he returns this season. At least, that’s what Pacers president Larry Bird said when speaking to reporters on Tuesday morning:

Bird, on if Paul George will return this season: “If he gets healthy and they say he can play and he wants to play, we’ll let him play.”

— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) February 3, 2015

Bird also said he was told that George’s leg would heal in seven months, which would be in March. That doesn’t necessarily mean George would be ready to play at that seven-month mark, just that the leg would be healed by then. He would still have to go through practices and become comfortable mentally with returning from a significant injury.

But if George truly is 100 percent healthy and ready to go at some point this season, it would be beneficial to get back on the court, and Bird said as much. Even if the Pacers fall completely out of the playoff picture by the time a return could happen, getting those game reps this season would be useful in advance of the 2015-16 season. The quicker he can shake the rust off his game, the better.

Indiana likely won’t be in the playoff conversation when March rolls around, although it’s not completely out of the question despite a 17-32 record and one of the league’s worst offenses. The Pacers have scored just 98.0 points per 100 possessions this season, which is tied for the second-worst mark in the league, per NBA.com. Still, Indiana is just 4½ games behind the Charlotte Hornets for the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference.

If the Pacers somehow stick around in the playoff race, perhaps a George return would provide the necessary spark for a push into the postseason. There would be no guarantees, and he might not even be effective, but it would be quite the story. And again, even if Indiana is out of the playoff hunt, it would behoove George to play if he’s ready to go.

I think it would be safe to say George would be willing to give it a go if he’s cleared to play by the doctors:

March?! — Paul George (@Yg_Trece) February 3, 2015

George blossomed into one of the NBA’s best young players last season, and there was little reason not to expect another step forward this year. The awful leg injury was an unfortunate setback, but we haven’t heard the last of him. Hopefully he can return this season and be fully ready to roll in 2015-16. At that point, the Pacers will have high hopes once again.