Sans Kawhi Leonard, the L.A. Clippers have had their backs against the wall in the Western Conference Finals against the Phoenix Suns. To recall, Leonard suffered a knee injury in Game 4 of L.A.'s Western Conference Semifinals series against the Utah Jazz. He has been unable to suit up since.
To make things worse, an update from Yahoo Sports' Chris Haynes casts a cloud of doubt on The Klaw's status when the series shifts back to Phoenix for Game 5, adding that the elevation won't be good for his recovery.
The Clippers have relied heavily on Paul George during Leonard's absence. Much maligned whenever he has a bad game, George's recent uptick in play may be enough to put all the “Pandemic P” slander to rest.
In fact, George has been delivering the goods for the Clippers throughout these playoff games thus far. As of writing, he leads all players in total minutes and points in the postseason.
Since Leonard became unavailable, George has averaged 30.4 points, 10 rebounds, and 6.2 assists in 41.8 minutes throughout five games. These are MVP-type numbers reminiscent of his career year in 2018-19 for the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Outside of George, the Clippers have enjoyed separate outbursts from Terance Mann and Reggie Jackson.
Leonard's knee injury has brought a sensitive situation to L.A. and, so far, they appear to be playing it safe in hopes of having a healthier star should they make it to the NBA Finals. Before going down, the former Finals MVP was averaging 30.4 points, 7.7 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 2.1 steals for the Clippers.
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