Paul George has been the butt of many jokes in NBA circles after his paltry performance with the Los Angeles Clippers during the postseason. George hit the side of the backboard, and eventually got beaten by the Denver Nuggets while simultaneously losing a 3-1 lead. A superstar like George shouldn’t be losing in the second-round when being paired with Kawhi Leonard. It doesn’t help that George also had a worse series than Leonard.
An NBA scout was low on Paul George when assessing the Clippers’ prospects for the season. Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated reports the scout’s opinion on Paul George:
I’m not a huge Paul George guy. He’s talented and I like his defense. But a lot of times he hijacks your offense with crazy shots. Early, multiple dribble jump shots. They kill you. His passing has improved, but I still would not call him a great passer. Probably why he is best as a No. 2 option.
Here, the anonymous NBA scout admits that Paul George is talented, and solid on the defensive end. But the scout absolutely roasts Paul George’s offensive habits: perhaps George’s early jumpers eliminate team rhythm while holding the ball in one place and not moving it around. Paul George is an efficient scorer, but it is true that a lot of his points come from pull-up jumpers: so that means if his jumper isn’t going, then George can be a liability on the floor scoring-wise.
Paul George being a second option isn’t an insult. He is still a very good player, and while he never got to the Finals as the best player on his team, perhaps he can be on the first team that brings a championship to the Los Angeles Clippers. George could still be very productive while playing winning basketball with Kawhi Leonard. The Clippers could win a championship with George and Leonard, but a lot of it will hinge on whether Paul George can fully step up in the playoffs to match Kawhi Leonard’s own playoff mode.
