Paul George to return Sunday vs. Heat

After weeks of of anticipation, Indiana Pacers star Paul George will finally make his return to the court on Sunday against the Miami Heat. George took to social media to make the announcement on Saturday morning:

Game shoes! Time to get some burn Sunday night!!! Can't wait!!! https://t.co/7w2s7bkEs8

— Paul George (@Yg_Trece) April 4, 2015

The Pacers followed up George’s announcement with their own official announcement of his return to the court:

#Pacers release statement on Paul George making season debut this Sunday pic.twitter.com/RdJBaIWIHN

— Candace Buckner (@CandaceDBuckner) April 4, 2015

After George suffered a horrific leg injury during a Team USA Basketball scrimmage last summer, most people thought he was done for the 2014-15 NBA season. But a few months ago, news came that George was hoping to make a mid-March comeback. While that never materialized, the fact that he’s returning now after that injury is still pretty remarkable.

George actually was hoping to come back in March, but the team held him back to make sure he’d be as close to 100 percent as possible. He of course won’t be 100 percent himself when he returns to the floor, but he’s physically healthy and there’s not much risk of a re-injury. He actually doesn’t even have a minutes restriction, but the plan is to play him 10-to-15 minutes in order to ease himself back into game shape.

Because George has been out so long and is coming off such a serious injury, there’s sure to be plenty of rust, and his conditioning will be lacking. Who knows what kind of impact he’ll actually have on the floor, but it probably won’t be much. Expectations should be low for him, and he’s not going to come riding in on a white horse to will the Pacers into the postseason.

Steve Mitchell/USA TODAY Sports

However, just the fact that he’s back could be the boost Indiana needs to sneak into the playoffs. After a hot stretch in February and early March, the Pacers stumbled, losing six straight games at one point. All the hoopla surrounding George’s return may have taken a toll on the team, and now that he’s back, that weight is lifted and the team is sure to feel rejuvenated with the star back.

Indiana is currently 1.5 games behind Miami for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, so Sunday’s game is huge. A loss could be a death blow for the Pacers, but a victory gets them right there for that last spot. The Heat are vulnerable in their own right because of all their injuries, so this is certainly a game that can be had.

Even if Indiana doesn’t get into the postseason this year, the fact that George is back and ready to go is a great story. It’ll also be good just to get him some reps this season in advance of a full training camp next year. Instead of having all that time off from the injury to next training camp, he’ll have gotten himself acclimated again. That’s definitely a plus.