David West was the heart and soul of the Indiana Pacers “Blue Collar, Gold Swagger” Era. The mean-mugging, mid-range assassin provided the guidance a young Indiana Pacers team needed and helped shape a team the tested the Miami Heat more often than not.
The Pacers never reached the NBA finals in this era, but that doesn’t mean his time in Indiana was a failure.
Often older players by default are considered leaders, but David West earned that title when he was with the team. If you don’t think that’s true, look at Paul George’s comments in an article with the Indy Star’s Candace Buckner today.