Our 2022-2023 player season preview series continues with Paul George, the Clippers’ second star who is looking to bounce back after an injury-riddled season.
BASIC INFORMATION
Height: 6’8
Weight: 220
Position: Shooting guard/Small forward
Age: 32
Years in NBA: 12
Key Stats in 2022 season: 31 games, 24.3 points, 6.9 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 2.2 steals, on 42.1/35.4/85.8 shooting splits
Contract Status: Paul George has three years and roughly $136.9 million remaining on his contract. His third and final year ($48,787,763) has a player option.
EXPECTATIONS
As one would expect of a six-time All-NBA Team performer who has yet to exit his prime, P.G. will have several key responsibilities when it comes to his role with this Clippers team. He’ll have his hand in occasionally guarding the opposition’s best player, he’ll be tasked with playmaking duties in the halfcourt, and there’s no doubt his ability to score at all three levels will be required for the Clippers to inch as close to their ceiling as possible. But the expectation isn’t for him to be overwhelmed in these duties as he was during the 2021-22 regular season or the prior postseason after Kawhi Leonard was sidelined with an ACL tear.
The expectation is also not for Paul George to take the backseat to Kawhi as he’s done in the past — specifically, during his debut season in L.A. What’s expected of Paul is that he’ll be available enough throughout the season to co-pilot the flight, so to speak. Health should enable him to be the version of himself that the Clippers would ideally need in order to contend for an NBA championship.
STRENGTHS
Where do we start? When it comes to P.G.’s strengths, there are almost too many to name. You can point to his capability to defend positions 1-4 at a high level, while also being good off the ball. Obviously, his ball-handling for his size makes him a tough cover for defenses. But chief among his strengths, in my opinion, is his ability to be an elite, high-volume 6-foot-8 jump-shooter.
And it’s not like he’s a Duncan Robinson or J.J. Redick kind of shooter. In addition to his mastery as a catch-and-shoot player, Paul’s ability to be efficient on high volume as a self-creator off the bounce really elevates him on that end of the court. His creation off the bounce isn’t only reserved for himself, he’s operated often as the Clippers’ defacto point guard over the years. His production has its ebbs and flows in such a role, but it’s certainly been a welcomed trait given the Clippers’ previous lack of a true playmaker.
George’s strengths should shine more brightly this season as the team around him enables him to be crisper in these areas without overexerting his energy throughout the season.
WEAKNESSES
I’m willing to throw out some of the rough shooting splits from a season ago that are atypical of what we’ve seen from George throughout his career. It’s safe to relate those lows to the elbow injury that plagued him after the red-hot start to the season. So, what weakness can you direct your attention to from a guy who is an elite shooter and defender, while being at least average at mostly everything else? For me, the weakness is consistency.
It feels like long ago that we would do articles or hop on podcasts asking for more from P.G. — I remember the dialogue specifically coming during the beginning of playoff runs. Obviously, in Kawhi’s absences, we didn’t see the semi-quiet performances as often. But now with option 1A presumably back to begin the season, I don’t want George to alter his mindset back to the “this is Kawhi’s team” way of thinking. Not that there should be any competition between the two, but Paul keeping his foot on the gas and not overthinking his role will eliminate some of the occasional unfulfilling stretches.
Consistency also is aided by availability, something that should be considered a weakness of Paul’s at this point. In four seasons prior to his trade to the Clippers, he had only missed 16 total games. He’s missed over 100 games in his three-year L.A. tenure and he’ll certainly miss more going forward (hopefully by design). We know P.G. is one of the better two-way players in the league, but he can’t show it if he isn’t out there.
SUMMARY
If you would have told me following the 2020 postseason that Paul George would be many Clippers fans’ most-beloved player, I wouldn’t believe it. But he’s paid his dues and upped his play over time, and now he’s turned himself into the face of the franchise. I’m really looking forward to seeing Paul George (and the rest of the team) put it all together this 2023 season. It feels like now is the time.
