9x All-Star Paul George reveals toughest player to score on in NBA
LA Clippers All-Star Paul George has established himself as one of the more explosive scorers in the league in his 14 years so far in the NBA. But he is one to admit that certain players do give him a hard time in getting buckets, one of which is fellow veteran Jrue Holiday.
The nine-time NBA All-Star shared this in a recent episode of his podcast, highlighting how Holiday’s penchant for playing defense has made it difficult to score despite his height disadvantage.
‘PG’ said on Podcast P:
“Toughest player to score on? Probably Jrue [Holiday]. Jrue got locks. He got locks. He’s strong as s**t. He’s quick. And he loves to play defense. Like that is the worst thing. Like that’s the worst trait that you could go up against somebody that loves to play defense. And those are always the toughest matchups for me offensively when a guy is super shorter than me.”
Check out what he had to say below at the 0:05 mark:
Paul George surely knew what he was talking about as Jrue Holiday has been steady on the defensive end. In his 15 years in the league, he has been a member of the All-NBA Defensive Team five times, three times in the First Team.
He is currently bringing that facet of his game to the Boston Celtics, who have the best record in the NBA at the moment, 50-14.
George, meanwhile, remains an offensive force for the LA Clippers (41-22) this season, averaging 22.1 points in 57 games.
Paul George speaks about playing defense in the NBA right now
Paul George said he is for balance in offense and defense in the NBA right now but is not sure how to go about it, considering how the game has evolved to favor more of the offensive players.
One of the league superstars who can play both ends, the 33-year-old shared in his podcast that playing defense has become even more challenging now because of how players have improved offensively and how they know to work on their advantages.
George said:
“It’s kinda too far gone, I feel like. Like every position is skilled right now. Every position can shoot the three. And that’s just the way the NBA is. They literally took out the midrange game and made it threes or layups.”
“So you naturally gonna get offensive explosion with guys being able to shoot like Steph (Curry) and Trae (Young). And it’s only gonna get better with guys coming into the league being able to shoot far out … So how do you fix it?”
Watch the video below:
In 14 years in the NBA, Paul George has struck balance with his offense and defense, posting career averages of 20.7 points on 43.9% shooting and 38.3% from three. He is also a four-time member of the All-NBA Defensive Team, two in the First Team, with a career steals average of 1.7 swipes.