For Indiana's George, a Breakout Season In an N.B.A. season with a long list of teams learning to cope with sidelined superstars, perhaps no player has made more of his opportunity than Indiana's Paul George. Since All-Star small forward Danny Granger was lost to a knee ailment in early November, George has become one of the league's most promising two-way players and has given the Pacers a potential cornerstone for seasons to come. The result has been a breakout season for the third-year swingman, and the biggest boon for an Indiana team currently in third place in the Eastern Conference. A glance at George's statistics (16.9 points, 7.6 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.7 steals) reveals nothing eye-popping, save for the well-rounded nature of the numbers. From crowd-killing dunks to run-sparking steals, timely jumpers to traffic-defying rebounds, George - to steal a cliché - really does do it all. But for fans of the Pacers, one number above all rings encouraging: 22, as in George's age. Despite being overlooked by most Pac-12 schools as a senior at Palmdale High School in California, George enjoyed a standout two-year stint at Fresno State. His stat line as a jack-of-all-trades sophomore -- 16.8 points, 7.2 rebounds and three assists per game -- was a sign of things to come. Still, his arrival in the N.B.A. wasn't without questions. The 10th pick in the 2010 draft, George was pegged in pre-draft scouting reports as a player with a rare combination of physical gifts and a sky-high ceiling, but also a propensity for turnovers and offensive freelancing that made growing pains all but a given. There was also the issue of roster fit. With Granger - like George, a traditional three - already locked in as the team's franchise cornerstone, how would the explosive rookie fit in to Indiana's long-term plans? Would he primarily spell Granger off the bench? Could he learn to play primarily on the wing? What about at power forward? Could he develop a consistent jump shot, or was his a career destined to be driven by defense? After a promising - if unspectacular - rookie season, George had asserted himself as a legitimate N.B.A. starter by the start of the lockout-shortened 2012 season, beginning the season in Coach Frank Vogel's lineup alongside Granger as the starting two-guard. George would start every game for the Pacers, who beat the Orlando Magic in the first round of the playoffs before falling in six games to eventual champ Miami in the conference semifinals. The Pacers began their 2012 training camp with high hopes that a core of Granger, George and All-Star center Roy Hibbert was custom-built for success in the East. But when it was announced that a case of patellar tendinosis would force Granger to miss months, the Pacers' strategy transformed from conference contention to mere survival. But something interesting happened on the way to diminished expectations: Now free to play at his more natural small forward position, George's third-year leap has helped propel the Pacers to first place in the Central Division, one game ahead of rival Chicago, which is dealing with the loss of itsr own star in Derrick Rose. It remains to be seen how Granger's return will affect both George's role and the team's chemistry. One thing is certain: Any team ranked second-to-last in offensive efficiency (98.0 through Monday) can certainly use Granger's brand of floor spacing and shooting. The question is whether Granger's marginal defensive instincts might compromise a defense - led in his absence by George - currently ranked first in the league in both points allowed (89.3) and overall efficiency (98.9). With many teams -- the Knicks with Amar'e Stoudemire and the Lakers with nearly half their roster being the obvious examples -- dealing with the challenges of reincorporating stars into their lineups, the Pacers certainly aren't alone in their coming quandary. But when the two main ingredients are two players - one a rising star and the other fast approaching 30 - who play the same position (and are nearly the same height and weight), the calculus could get complicated. Jim Cavan is a contributing writer at KnickerBlogger.net, a member of the ESPN TrueHoop network. You can find him on Twitter (@JPCavan).