Player in Focus: Paul George and his journey with LA Clippers so far | NBA season 2020-21
Paul George is arguably one of the best 2-way players in the NBA today. George was drafted by Indiana Pacers as the 10th pick in the 1st round of the 2010 NBA draft.
The 2013 Most Improved Player of the Year has had over sixteen games with 40+ points in his career. Paul George had his best year during the 2018-19 campaign with the Oklahoma City Thunder. He came in 3rd in the MVP race, while also leading the league in steals. The 7-time All-Star was part of the All-NBA first team and All-Defensive first team as well that year.
In 2019 George joined forces with the 2-time Champion and Finals MVP, Kwahi Leonard. He was traded by the Thunder to the LA Clippers for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari, 5 first-round picks, and the right to swap to other first-round picks.
Role with LA Clippers
The LA clippers were many experts pick to win the 2019-20 NBA Championship once they signed Kawhi Leonard in free-agency and brought in Paul George to pair up with him. NBA legend Jerry West was the moderator who brought these 2 massive deals to fruition.
Leonard had just won an NBA title with Toronto Raptors where he was the Finals MVP and George was coming off an MVP caliber season with the Thunder. Thus the expectations were high considering the La Clippers also had a stacked bench with the likes of former 6th man of the year Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell.
Paul George who was the SG for the LA Clippers missed the first 11 games as he was still recovering from a shoulder injury. He made his debut against the New Orleans Pelicans in November 2019 and dropped 33 points though unfortunately did not end up winning the match.
Following this Paul George had quite a few high-scoring games with the LA Clippers. The fan base around Los Angeles was starting to get excited with anticipation of what was about to come from a team that had never reached the Conference Finals.
However, the dream soon turned into a nightmare, as LA Clippers were knocked out by the Denver Nuggets in round 2 of the 2020 NBA Playoffs in the Orlando Bubble.
Season so far
In December 2020 Paul George signed a $190 million contract extension with the LA Clippers.
The 2020-21 season opener began with the LA city rivals going head to head. Paul George was fantastic in the opener, scoring 33 points and leading the LA Clippers to a massive win.
Paul George has been having a great season so far averaging 23.0 PPG, 6.2 RPG, and 5.4 APG with FG% of 47.7 and a 3P% of 43.8. His most recent notable performance came against the Phoenix Suns, where he scored 39 points to end their 4-game winning streak.
Paul George has had nine games with 30+ points this season so far. He is definitely motivated this year to prove his doubters wrong, especially after the debacle of last season.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Apart from being an excellent 2-way player, Paul George is also an efficient 3-level scorer. He is excellent from the 3-point line and mid-range but is often also seen dominating big men in the paint and scoring over or around them.
Paul George's biggest weakness has been his inability to raise his game when the pressure is at it's peak. In the post-season, PG13 had suffered 4 straight 1st round elimination before the 2019-20 season.
During his stint with the OKC Thunder, Paul George coined the term 'Playoff P', which not only came to haunt him in that very series but has also become a subject of ridicule whenever his name is brought up.
The biggest play-off failure of Paul George's career came last year in the 2020 NBA Playoffs in the Orlando bubble. The LA Clippers despite having a 3-1 lead lost to a relatively inexperienced Denver Nuggets which left many experts and fans in the basketball world stunned.
Paul George soon became the poster boy for all memes earning the name of Pandemic P. He was heavily criticized for his performance in game 7, which included a wayward shot from him that hit the side of the backboard.
Expectations from Paul George going forward
During last offseason, LA Clippers fired Doc Rivers and promoted Tyronn Lue to the position of the head coach. Rivers had made news after Paul George criticized him for his game plan on the All The Smoke podcast.
With Tyronn Lue now being the head coach, the LA Clippers are 37-18, sitting at the 3rd position in the western conference. Whatever has happened with them or Paul George was expected by everyone, however the pressure will start mounting once again as we close in on the playoffs.
Fans of LA Lakers cross-town rivals desperately want to see their team reach at least the Conference Finals, if not the NBA Finals. Since the signing of NBA veteran Rajan Rondo, the pressure of having to lead the team has also somewhat been reduced for Paul George. Rondo is known to have a very high basketball IQ and great playmaking skills and during the play-off time certainly elevates his game.
Thus this season could provide Paul George with a great opportunity to end his streak of poor performances in the NBA Playoffs.