Danny Granger has to deal with knee pain. (Getty Images)

Pacers forward Danny Granger missed the first five games of the preseason because of a left knee injury, and it could cause him to miss random games throughout the regular season.

Granger did manage to play in the final two games of the preseason and averaged 9.5 points in just 17 minutes per game. But he's still experiencing pain as the season opener approaches. Mike Wells from the Indianapolis Star tweeted about concern for Granger's knee moving forward:

That sounds awful. The fact that Granger is being told he basically needs to just deal with the pain right before he begins an 82-game season plus playoffs doesn't exactly invoke confidence in him playing a full season.

Perhaps he'll be fine and maybe this will allow him to take it easier during the regular season while giving Paul George a chance to blossom on the court. George taking a big step forward offensively and growing into more than just a spot-up shooter and cutter would be huge for the Pacers' offensive attack.

They'd be able to run a lot of different side action with George and David West or George and Roy Hibbert, using Granger as a spot-up shooter to keep the defense honest.

Or Granger could have crippling pain all year that makes his season incredibly rough. Let's hope it's the former.