Paul George of the Indiana Pacers was named Eastern Conference player of the month for November on Thursday, edging LeBron James and Kyle Lowry as worthy candidates.
Before discussing the merits of the Toronto Raptors star and resident of Over Everything, it’s worth acknowledging that George had a terrific month himself. In his first full month of action since May of 2014, George transitioned seamlessly to playing more positionless basketball, leading the Pacers to an 11-5 mark (they’re now 12-5), far better than anyone would have guessed entering the year.
Here’s what I wrote about the Pacers before they met the Raptors in the season opener:
Overall, the Pacers grade out as a fringe playoff team. They nearly made it last year despite George’s absence, and a return to his pre-injury, All-NBA form would make them a real threat for a low East seed. But that’s something that needs to be put on display for a month or so, not seven preseason games, and until it’s clear that it’s that George back, the Pacers can’t be penciled in to a spot.
Well, George has absolutely returned to pre-injury form, perhaps even playing better. He led the East in scoring with 27.2 points per game and added 8.1 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 1.6 steals. He also averaged 35.6 minutes, an enormous task a little over a year removed from a gruesome leg injury that cost him all but six games of the 2014-15 season. While Steph Curry has dominated headlines for his play – he won Western Conference Player of the Month and was also the runner up and second runner up – George’s return to form has been one of the best stories of the season so far.
But damn, did Lowry ever have a case, too.
Only one other guard in the NBA other than Stephen Curry is scoring over 1 point per possession & using 20+ possession per game: Kyle Lowry.
— Synergy Sports Tech (@SynergySST) December 3, 2015
The Raptors were 11-7 in the month despite playing the fewest home games in the league, with the team securing marquee victories at home against the Cavaliers (and in retrospect, the Pacers) and on the road against the Thunder and Clippers. Lowry averaged 20.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, 6.2 assists, and 2.6 steals in those games, shooting 41.9 percent from 3-point range and finding a new comfort zone as a score-first attacker alongside Cory Joseph, unlocking some very effective smaller lineups for the Raptors.
Dan Devine of Ball Don’t Lie summed Lowry’s impact up pretty well today:
Pick your catch-all advanced stat of choice, and there’s a decent chance it loves Lowry’s impact on the game this season. He’s 13th in the league in Player Efficiency Rating, just below scoring monster James Harden and rebound devourer Andre Drummond. He’s third — as in one, two, three— in Value Over Replacement Player and Real Plus-Minus, behind only Curry and Russell Westbrook. He’s top 10 in Win Shares, Wins Produced and Estimated Wins Added. The Raptors are decimating opponents with him on the floor, outscoring the competition by a robust 8.2 points per 100 possessions, according to NBA.com’s stat tool, and they fall off a cliff when he sits, gettingoutscored by 8.6-per-100; in essence, Lowry’s presence has been the difference between Toronto playing like the NBA’s third-best team and its third-worst.
It’s really too bad that the award didn’t extend to Dec. 2, because Lowry was at his very best despite illness on Wednesday, setting a franchise record with 22 points in a quarter:
George’s story, his numbers, and Indiana’s somewhat unexpected (or at least premature) success makes him deserving of the nod. James had a great case, too. But Lowry was right there. He’s been phenomenal so far this season, and it’s nice to see him get a nod of appreciation ahead of becoming the Eastern Conference All-Star Team’s starting point guard for a second consecutive season.
DeMar DeRozan was also among the nine players nominated for the award. DeRozan averaged 21.2 points for the month, making up for inefficient shooting with 8.7 free-throw attempts per game and improved playmaking off the dribble and out of post-ups. An adequate defender now fortunate to draw easier assignments thanks to DeMarre Carroll, DeRozan also chipped in 4.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1.1 steals. Despite all of that, the Raptors were better with DeRozan off the floor than on it, which seems odd until you see how poorly DeRozan has performed without Lowry by his side.
