

Jackson left Waterford Mott High School in Michigan as a consensus four-star recruit and one of the top centers in the country. He knows he's not currently the type of player who will have a lot of plays called for him on offense, but embracing a specialized role is familiar territory. Jackson knows early in his career that solid defense and playing with energy will help him earn minutes in a crowded, veteran-laden Pacers rotation. Only 11 current NBA players are younger than him, but the former Kentucky star's self awareness greatly defies his youth. He's given me the green light.INDIANAPOLIS - Indiana Pacers rookie Isaiah Jackson won't turn 20 years old until his fourth month of NBA action.
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I feel free out there as opposed to last year where I was a little hesitant. "I know that he trusts me to make the right plays, good plays. "That's total confidence right there," George said about his relationship with Vogel. Vogel and George are members of the mutual admiration society, with George crediting his coach for his ever-growing assertiveness on the court. He's a sponge, he wants to learn and he'll do anything you tell him." "If you have potential but you don't have that, you're going nowhere. "Your attitude and your desire to get better is everything," Vogel said. The Pacers are a team in every sense of the word and have bought in completely to Vogel's philosophy. George is one of five players averaging double figures with two other teammates topping nine points per contest. George and the rest of his squad are fun to watch, but even more important, they sit third in their conference and at the halfway point of the season, trail only the Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls in the East.

Less than a year later, George is making the Pacers front office look great for taking a chance on the kid who had been a relative unknown at Fresno State only two years prior.īecause he plays in Indiana and because the Pacers haven't exactly been playing thrilling basketball in recent years, the average basketball fan is missing out on a lot of this. During his rookie season, Vogel raved about his potential. He hasn't shied away from throwing down some awe-inspiring slams, but has proven his worth and solidified himself as an integral part of Indiana's future. Spending his summer training in Los Angeles, George has had a strong first half of the season and he's shown he is much more than just an athlete with potential. He did this without committing any turnovers, connecting on seven of his 11 three-point attempts and showing off his defensive versatility when he went from guarding Vince Carter to Jason Terry without any hiccups. The defending champion Dallas Mavericks learned of George's potential during a 98-87 loss to Indiana where George scored 30 points, pulled down nine rebounds, dished five assists, nabbed five steals and recorded a blocked shot. George is a second-year player who is often assigned the task of keeping up with the best player on the opposing roster, a player that is sometimes the quickest, other times the smallest and often the most lethal offensively.


This is a swingman who can use his length to stifle his opponent defensively while also having the rare ability to guard multiple positions on the floor. He knows what he needs to do and he's doing it. Like I said, I know what level I need to play at now." Especially to have a year under my belt and playoff experience. "The playoffs was a way to understand what level I need to play at defensively," George explained.
