Try as they might, the Pacers could not keep Lance Stephenson from signing a three-year, $27 million contract with the Hornets. Stephenson wanted a shorter deal and madea bold bet on himself, the rationale being he will mature and increasein value over the next few seasons. The Pacers' offer of $44 million over five years was fair, but, at 23, odds were Stephenson would outplay the deal and be underpaid near the end of hiscontract. Paul George (AP Photo) MORE: George faces long rehab | Cuban takes IOC to task | Chaussure KD 7 USA photosThe Pacers were sad to see Stephenson leave Indiana. He developed as a player there.Larry Bird took a chance on him. That gamble paid off and then some.Still, thePacers were finebecause they had Paul George. He signed a five-year, $90 million deal andchallenged the NBA's elite players last season.Things have changed. George suffered a horrific leg injury in a Team USA scrimmage held at Thomas &Mack Center and will miss 12 to18 months with a tibia-fibula fracture.And while there was no way to plan for such a freak accident, the injury only heightens the loss of Stephenson.George and Stephenson often played alongside one another over the past four years. They were picked in the same draft, with George going No. 10 and Stephenson falling to No. 40.By the end of the 2012-13 season, each player had carved out his own space within the Pacers offense. They worked in concert, but Stephenson was always Nike Mercurial Vapor IX sort of in a George-Light role. Both players have size, possessballhandling skills and are solid shooters. The edge in athleticism and shooting went to George, while the passing and rebounding edge went to Stephenson.Even if Stephenson was on the roster, the Pacers would have no way to replace Georgeoutright.Stephenson was thebest bet to pick up some of the slack, though.Last year,Stephenson led the NBA in triple-doubles, pulled in more rebounds than any guard in the league went toe-to-toe withthe best player in the world in LeBron James. There's nothing to scoff at in that list.Surprisingly, Stephenson and George had similar advanced metrics. They landed in similar spots in offensive rating, defensive rating and true shooting percentage. The separation came in usage rate and points per game.George averaged 21.7 points and registered a 28.2 percent usage rate that far exceeds Stephenson's 13.4 points and 19.5 percent usage.Aside from those two stats which are meaningful ones there is not much difference in the numbers. The numbers do not necessarily indicate that Stephenson could have played a feature role for the Pacers, only that he could have spared the Pacers from a complete downfall in George's absence.The Pacers will miss Stephenson most as a ballhandler. George was better with Stephenson on the court because of his ability as a playmaker, and the same thing goes for other teammates. Stephenson created 12.5 points by assists per 48 minutes, according to SportsVu player tracking data.As the roster stands, Indiana would stick Rodney Stuckey,C.J. Miles andGeorge Hill intominutes previously held by George and Stephenson. Neither Miles nor Hill can take on the burden carried by Stephenson as a scorer and playmaker. Stuckey averages 13.4 points for his careerbut has had problems running a team.Indiana still has time toadd scoring and ballhandling, but the remaining solid options in free agencyare few and far between. The Pacers will need to get creative to remain among the better teams in the Eastern Conference.No matter what measures they take, the loss of George will leave a chasm in Indiana's roster. Stephenson could have helped patch it up.