Paul George confident severe leg injury is just a ‘bump in the road’

Paul George seemed at ease while driving in a Ferrari to his first press conference since a suffering devastating compound fracture in his right leg during a Team USA scrimmage on Aug. 1. Once he got there, he told reporters he’s confident he’ll recover fully.

“It’s a bump in the road,” George said. “Something that’ll make me stronger going forward.”

When that recovery finishes remains up in the air. George said it was too early to put a timetable on his return, but admitted it’s likely he will miss the entire 2014-15 season.

“I’m very aware of not being able to play next year,” he said. “That’s a huge possibility.

“I’m holding out a little hope personally because I want to be back, but this injury could take a year to fully recover. The last thing I want to do is feel like I’m OK, come out early and be vulnerable to further injury.”

When the injury happened, George said he felt “like gasoline was on my leg and someone lit a match.” He was told not to look down, but snuck a peek and saw the bone sticking out, indicating just how bad it was. He had a rod inserted into his leg and pins in his knees and ankles to keep all the surrounding bones and ligaments in place. He credited teammates, coaches and peers for reaching out and helping him get through the surgery and keep him level.

George also fired back at critics who used his injury as a reason to question the wisdom of NBA stars playing for Team USA and their other home countries.

“I think it’s real unfair to get the criticism they’re getting,” George said. “It was just a freak accident. No one [else] has really been injured the whole time USA Basketball has been here.”

He did dodge a follow-up question about whether the basket stanchion should have been moved back, saying he wants to move forward with his rehab.

He also discussed his recent decision to change his number to 13, saying he considered it before his rookie year, but elected to wait because he was “superstitious.”

“The whole thing about PG-13 is just coming into my own,” he said. “I feel like I’m at that stage where I’m ready to embrace everything that comes w/ being one of the young stars in this league. Everyone knows the TV reference. The whole thing is being able to enjoy the show and being fun to watch.”

(All quotes transcribed via an NBA.com live stream).