Indiana Pacers small forward and shooting guard Paul George, 25, believes that he is currently the best NBA player.
When asked by USA Today which player enters the NBA 2015-2016 season as the best of them all, George said, "Myself."
"I honestly feel that this is my time to prove it," George added. "There's always going to be people's opinions. There's always going to be people thinking otherwise. But this is my time to prove it, and I'm ready. I'm ready to show the world."
On Aug. 1 in Las Vegas, George had a leg injury after fouling Houston Rockets shooting guard James Harden and landing awkwardly at the base of a basket stanchion. Prior to this, he had been considered a virtual lock to make the training camp roster for the national team that would represent the United States at the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain.
After the leg injury, George cautiously and sparingly played in the Indiana Pacers' final six games of the previous NBA season. Now, he said he honestly feels like he is "better than the Paul George" he was before.
Still having the aspiration of being the MVP and one of the best NBA defenders and scorers, George believes that he is now much wiser as he enters the NBA 2015-2016 season as a better playmaker and a better ball handler.
In a recent NBA press conference, George said he still has the same goal which is to be efficient and be the MVP for the NBA 2015-2016 season.
"I still understand I'm coming off the injury, but I'm trying to block all that out," Indy Star quoted George as saying. "I'm trying to come into this year as if I played last year and had another amazing season."