Playing an ineffective version of small-ball wore on C.J. Miles. Will the consequences of his willingness to bend send him the way of another former C.J.?
When Paul George (rightfully so) balked at the idea of transitioning to the power forward position during his first full-season back from serious injury, Frank Vogel capitulated to Larry Bird's designs on playing small-ball by making C.J. Miles the sacrificial lamb for the first two months of the season. A compromise move which brought mixed results.
With Miles stretching the floor, the Pacers met Bird's uptempo criteria by averaging nearly eight more possessions per 48 minutes than last year's team, but the heightened pace did not result in more points and the defense took a significant step back.