The NBA Restart is officially underway. Two days into the restart, one player that has stood out is Clippers F Paul George.
Yes, the Lakers have two of the top five players this season in LeBron James and Anthony Davis. They also defeated the Clippers on the first night of the restart. However, they only did so by two points. And while a win is a win, the Clippers were without Montrez Harrell and Lou Williams.
The Clippers then bounced back with a dominating win over the New Orleans Pelicans that included 25 made threes.
Through these two games, the Clippers’ brightest spot has been the play of Paul George.
George had 30 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists on 65% shooting and six threes against the Lakers. The next night George had 28 points on 47% shooting and eight threes against the Pelicans. This time he did it in 26 minutes. Teams in the Western Conference, if not already, should be concerned.
Paul George rankings this season (going into bubble):
- Sports Illustrated: 8
- ESPN: 8
- Bleacher Report: 9
- NBA.com: 8
The media have a firm idea of the player George can be at his peak. Despite the high rankings, George has shown in his first two games hat he can be so much more.
The point to get at is Paul George is the Clippers’ ultimate x-factor. Kawhi has been great but George has slightly been better. The bubble has shown early on that the team can win the NBA Championship with Paul George as their best player. Is that far-fetched? Not at all. Do not forget that George led the Pacers to back-to-back conference final appearances and was an MVP-candidate for the Thunder.
Injuries and lack of a consistent rotation are both things that contributed to Georgie’s dropoff in stats this season. But as the NBA has been advertising, it is a “whole new game” this time. And George looks like a whole different player. That is largely in part of a more efficient offensive output.
Two games may be early for these takes but it is 25 percent of the regular season. George is off to a hot start for a team that is among the favorites for the title. Do not take your eye off PG13. And do not be surprised if he ends up with a better restart than Kawhi Leonard.