Breaking Down the Indiana Pacers' Small Forward Position for the 2014-15 Season

Without Paul George, breaking down the Indiana Pacers' small forward position for the 2014-15 NBA season can be a bit tricky.

That's because among the four Pacers small forwards lined up for 2014-15—C.J. Miles, Chris Copeland, Damjan Rudez and Solomon Hill—two played sparingly (Copeland and Hill) while the other two (Miles and Rudez) weren't even in an Indiana uniform last season.

Now, Frank Vogel and Co. face the unenviable task of replacing George, the do-it-all, two-time All-Star, two-time NBA All-Defensive selection and two-time All-NBA Third Team member who averaged 21.7 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 2013-14. 

This will be a tall order indeed. 

In years past, Indy had some noteworthy names play small forward—Chuck Person, Detlef Schrempf, Derrick McKey and Jalen Rose, to name a few. Who could ever forget Person's long bombs, Schrempf's versatility, McKey's defense and Rose's trademark lefty jumper? Their efficiency at the 3-spot made the Pacers a joy to watch, culminating in memorable playoff runs as the 1990s wore on. 

Fast forward almost 20 years later, Indiana is longing for somebody—anybody—who can elevate his game to help make the Pacers competitive at small forward in the 2014-15 NBA season. 

For the purposes of this article, we will discuss only those Indiana Pacers small forwards with guaranteed contracts. 

Grading the Pacers' Small Forwards in 2013-14

Name	Points Per Game	Rebounds Per Game	Assists Per game	Blocks Per game	Steals Per Game
Paul George	21.7	6.8	3.5	0.3	1.9
Danny Granger	8.3	3.6	1.1	0.4	0.3
Evan Turner	7.1	3.2	2.4	0.1	0.4
Chris Copeland	3.7	0.8	0.4	0.2	0.1
Rasual Butler	2.7	0.8	0.3	0.2	0.1
Solomon Hill	1.7	1.5	0.4	0.1	0.2
Entire Indiana Pacers Team	96.7	44.7	20.1	5.4	6.7

Naturally, the conversation starts with Paul George.  

George had an up-and-down season. He started off strong and then began to suffer through horrendous shooting slumps in February and March, such as those against the Portland Trail Blazers on Feb. 7 (5-of-23 shooting) and the then-Charlotte Bobcats on March 5 (0-of-9 shooting). However, he rediscovered his shooting touch as the season wore on, culminating in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Miami Heat where he averaged 24 points on .452 shooting. 

Herein lies the issue: Indy's small forwards were too reliant on the inconsistent George.

Check that. Not just the small forwards, but possibly the entire team. 

Referring to the above chart, Danny Granger and Evan Turner—two players traded for one another on Feb. 21—put up the most respectable numbers other than George. Granger was coming off a hip injury and managed to chip in with 8.3 points on a Pacers career-low 36 percent shooting, per ESPN. He was expected to struggle after sitting out 77 games the previous year due a jumper's knee injury. 

No one knows for sure how long that struggle would have lasted, but Granger, in spite of his age (31) and recent injury issues, would have been a better option off the bench at the 3-spot than Turner. The Pacers were hoping Turner, the second overall pick of the 2010 NBA draft, would help solve their woeful bench production. 

Instead, Turner himself would be a fixture on the bench in several key games. He was so bad, he logged a grand total of just four minutes against the Heat in the playoffs. Turner was a huge defensive liability who was never a good fit. Neither he nor Granger proved to be a serviceable backup to George.

As for the rest of the shock troopers, it was Rasual Butler (currently a free agent) who answered the call when given the opportunity (such as his 10 points on 3-of-4 shooting against Portland on Feb. 7). Hopes were riding high on new acquisition and dreadlocked, dead-eye shooter Chris Copeland. However, he, too, rode the bench along with then-rookie Solomon Hill. 

In grading Indy's small forwards, their overall production is taken into account. Without too many options, George had to shoulder most of the burden. It was a shame, knowing this rotation had capable ballers who did not produce as expected (Granger and Turner) and players who were not given ample opportunity to shine (Butler, Copeland and Hill).

Overall grade: C  

What's In Flux in 2013-14

Aside from Copeland and Hill, new Pacers C.J. Miles (who most recently played for the Cleveland Cavaliers) and Croatian hotshot Damjan Rudez (a European league veteran) will look to produce at small forward.

Miles has averaged 8.9 points on 42 percent shooting, per Pacers.com's Mark Montieth. While he does a decent job of shooting from the perimeter and guarding the opponent's best wing player, he is not as well-rounded as Paul George is. Miles has averaged only 2.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists in his NBA career. Plus, he is not much of a shot creator. He's more of a spot-up shooter. 

Former Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers head coach Mike Brown, who coached Miles in Cleveland, told Monteith he sees the new Pacers swingman as "a good fit":

"

Now he's in Indiana with a lot of veteran players who know how to play, and it will be a good fit. If he gets in the right environment and has the right guys around him and pushes the appropriate buttons to get him going, he can be very productive in this league. He's more than capable with his length and size and ability to shoot.

"

On the other hand, Pacers.com's Greg Rappaport describes Rudez's game in his Aug. 26 article:

"

Rudez is typically labeled as a 'stretch-4,' a power forward capable of leaking out into the corners and burying 3-pointers at a hearty clip. One look at Rudez's highlight reel as a forward for CAI Zaragoza, a team in Spain's premier basketball league, shows both an aptitude for long-range shooting, as well as an ability to drive and get to the rim.

At 6-foot-10, there isn't much room between Rudez and the hoop, which increases the value of his long-range shooting even more.

"

Rudez's highlight reel, which Rappaport was referring to, can be viewed here.  

Although Rudez is a stretch-4, expect him to see time at the small forward spot, particularly in situations where Pacers head coach Frank Vogel needs more shooters on the floor. He is a virtual replica of Copeland: Both like to spot up from long range. They also move well without the ball, with Rudez getting the edge when it comes to scoring in transition. 

Rudez and Copeland are not the most well-rounded players. Rudez averaged 1.93 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 24.7 minutes per game with CAI Zaragoza last season, per RealGM.com. Copeland produced 0.8 rebounds and 0.4 assists in only 6.5 minutes per contest in 2013-14. 

Second-year man Solomon Hill, who hopes to make a much bigger impact this season, should provide some much-needed versatility. Among Hill's strengths are "man-to-man defense, closing out on shooters, rebounding, penetrating and shooting the long ball," per 8points9seconds.com's Dylan Hughes.  

The Parting Shot 

The most logical choice to start in George's place is the 10-year veteran Miles, the most experienced among the Pacers' small forwards. Should Miles start alongside George Hill and Rodney Stuckey, he will be part of a smaller lineup that will help the Pacers score more fastbreak points, an area where they struggled last season.

However, as Pacers.com's Wheat Hotchkiss correctly points out, the 6'6" Miles starting at the 3-spot "leaves the Pacers slightly undersized at small forward." No matter how good Miles is defensively, he is not as good as Paul George is in locking down studs such as LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony.

Indy can also go with Chris Copeland as their starting small forward. Copeland, just like Rasual Butler, made the most of his opportunities (in spite of how few they were) in 2013-14. Now could be his time. He has never been a full-time starter, so it will be definitely intriguing how this scenario plays out.

The one major issue with Copeland, just like the Chuck Person of old, is his defense. Nonetheless, Copeland was praised for his defense in some games last year (such as in Game 5 of the first-round series against the Atlanta Hawks matching up against Paul Millsap, when Indianapolis Star sports reporters Candace Buckner and Bob Kravitz—now with WTHR—did so). Copeland getting a chance to start should be a worthy gamble. 

On the other hand, Solomon Hill may be too inexperienced to start. But then again, we said the same thing about Lance Stephenson two seasons ago when he took over Granger's place in the rotation and promptly helped the Pacers reach back-to-back Eastern Conference Finals. Rudez seems to be the only sure bet to play off the bench at small forward. 

It's all on Miles, Copeland, Hill and Rudez to not only shoulder the load in Paul George's absence, but to also help this Indiana team surprise and possibly lock up a playoff spot despite the odds against them. It's a now-or-never situation for the Pacers' small forwards, who face a daunting task without their go-to-guy and franchise player. 

Note: Unless otherwise noted, all stats are current as of Sept. 11 and are courtesy of ESPN.com.