Paul George looks pretty bouncy, throws down dunks in the Philippines
In discussing his ongoing comeback from the gruesome broken right leg he suffered last summer, Paul George recently said he still notices “some things that are not Paul George-characteristic yet” when he gets on the court, but that he’s getting closer and closer to 100 percent. Exactly how close to full-strength he is remains unclear, but if the Indiana Pacers star’s recent trip to the Philippines on a Nike promotional tour is any indication, he sure looks to have most of his bounce back:
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In addition to busting out his signature 360 windmill and an East Bay Funk Dunk, George also got out onto the court with a group of Manila teens for some streetball, according to Joey Villar of The Philippine Star:
He quickly treated the big crowd to a shooting clinic, hitting five straight triples with relative ease before playing an impromptu one-on-one with some of the Tenement kids.
Carlo Belvis, a member of the Tenement Blue team, got the thrill of his life when he stole the ball from George during their one-on-one play. But George gamely returned the favor on the 19-year-old out-of-school youth, who tried to go for a basket with his crafty ball handling. […]
“I’m so happy and I feel I’m the best player here after he picked me first for the invitation,” Belvis told Philstar.com in Filipino. “This is once-in-a-lifetime experience to be able to play with an NBA All-Star, who is also my idol.”
George’s visit to the Philippines comes on the heels of a trip to Beijing, where he told fans that his goal for the season ahead is “to be MVP.” He’ll have to show he can stay on the court — and, as Larry Bird tells it, play the four spot for a shuffled-up Indy squad — before we can start lining him up alongside Stephen Curry, James Harden, Russell Westbrook, LeBron James and company. (Plus, y’know, that Durant guy, if we’re banking on injury comebacks.)
With George’s gifts, though, the combination of confidence and health could go a long way toward vaulting him back into that conversation. He seems not to have lost the former, and thankfully, by the looks of things, the latter might not be far behind, either.
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Dan Devine is an editor for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
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