Sliding way up the ladder to a current NBA superstar that was coached by Jim Boylen, former Indiana Pacers forward Paul George saw his career blossom in the early 2010’s. The peak of PG’s production while Boylen was with the Pacers came in 2013-14 when he averaged 21.7 points per game, 3.5 assists, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.9 steals.
The torch was passed between former Pacers star Danny Granger to PG in the early 2010’s when the team selected in the first round out of Fresno State. Granger was hitting a stretch during his career where knee injuries just couldn’t stop and halted what could’ve been a good run for him with the Pacers.
However, the impact that Boylen had on PG should be profound. Player development on the offensive end from a traditional sense was never a question for Boylen. He is known to instill toughness and grit with his younger forwards. PG definitely grew into that role with the Pacers that used to have the motto “Blue Collar, Gold Swagger” when they were making runs to the Eastern Conference Finals against the Miami Heat in the early to mid 2010’s.
According to Mike McGraw of the Daily Herald, the “defensive first” philosophy that Boylen tried to instill as interim head coach of the Chicago Bulls last season was evident in the players he coached previously as an assistant like Butler and PG. Granted, the Bulls did have a pretty awful defense under Boylen’s direction last season.