Despite being a multiple-time All-Star and max-contract player, Paul George knows he can’t be “the guy” on a championship-level team.
Speaking with JJ Redick on ‘The Old Man & The Three’ this week, the Clippers swingman revealed when he discovered his true role as a secondary star and how being the top dog on his own team did not match up to his ultimate goals.
“My early years in Indy, I was in that phase of like, that’s what you want. You want to be the guy, you want to want everything to fall on you,” George said. “Then after years of being there, going through injuries, and then seeing how the league was shaping up it was like, man, I can’t do this alone. Then it evolved to like, how can I be of service to a team? I had to be honest with myself that in order for me to win at the highest level or get to where I want to get to, I don’t think I’m the no. 1 guy.”
Paul George on recognizing that in order to give himself the best chance to win he had to take a secondary role. Fascinating insight from an All-NBA player. @Yg_Trece pic.twitter.com/ILWQGwvZyE
— JJ Redick (@jj_redick) March 1, 2023
George got a taste of being the franchise guy with the Indiana Pacers, where he spent the first 7 seasons of his career. While PG blossomed into a star with the Pacers, he never really got close to winning a title and always came across deeper, better teams in the postseason.
Then he was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder to team up with Russell Westbrook. Together, the two had a pretty solid run and PG had, arguably, the best season of his career with a season-scoring average of 28.9 points per game.
Now, on the Clippers, he has Kawhi Leonard to back him up.
Can Clippers Make A Playoff Run This Season?
On a three-game losing streak, the Clippers are proving unable to separate themselves from the play-in logjam in the standings. All season long, injuries, load management, and other factors have held them back from meeting expectations and now Tyronn Lue will have to incorporate Russell Westbrook into the equation.
Together, the Clippers probably have the best roster in basketball. But until they find some consistency when it comes to who is available and who is not, the Clips are going to struggle to find cohesion and chemistry with so many talented players on the team.
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