Indiana Pacers' Paul George Is Brave For Giving Team USA Another Shot

It’s hard to remember a more gruesome injury than the one Paul George endured two years ago in a scrimmage with Team USA, and this makes it even more surprising that he wants to be involved with them going forward.

However, he averaged a career-best 23.1 points per contest this season for the Indiana Pacers, and he even played 81 out of 82 possible games while leading them to the playoffs. The 26-year-old All-Star has clearly healed completely from the compound fracture suffered to his right leg, and he has firmly decided on going for a Team USA spot after wavering on that earlier this season due to health reasons.

“I was just hesitant on the simple fact that, the past couple years has obviously been tough for me — just felt like I didn’t have enough time to myself, and time to recover, and you know, give my body a rest. I didn’t want to jump out of a season, jump right into the Olympics. But I think I kind of said that too prematurely,” George said to ESPN’s Cari Champion. “I didn’t give myself enough time to really think it through. I think since I’ve been off, my body’s telling me yes, my mind is telling me yes, people around me are telling me yes. So I feel good about it. And, you know, I want to give it a shot.”

The Rio Olympics are only months away at this point, and it seems as though George is totally focused on making the team. USA Basketball managing director Jerry Colangelo has said in the past that he’d leave a spot open for George, but the final call will likely go to head coach Mike Krzyzewski.

Paul was one of 31 finalists named for the Olympic team in January, and that gives him a nice head start on the competition. The 12-man roster should be decided in late June, and then they’ll report to training camp on July 18 in Las Vegas. The tournament will take place on Aug. 6-21 in Rio de Janeiro, and Team USA is favored to win gold again despite stiff international competition.

George was probably jealous of the 2014 squad as he watched from his hospital bed, and it makes sense from this point of view that he yearns to return. Not a lot of people would want to risk their livelihood again after what he went through, though. George is a braver man than most, and that should get the attention of Team USA’s coaching staff when it comes to their roster decisions.