After failing to score a single point in the fourth quarter of Game 7 of the 2020 Western Conference semifinals against the Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Clippers small forward Paul George has been under fire.
Not only did George stink up the joint in Game 7 versus the Nuggets, but he told reporters after the Clippers got bounced by Denver that the team didn't view the 2019-20 season as championship or bust.
Those comments, among other things, rubbed a lot of fans in Los Angeles the wrong way.
With Houston Rockets superstar James Harden requesting a trade from Clutch City, some Clippers fans want LAC to trade George and anyone else on the roster not named Kawhi Leonard for the 2018 MVP. While that could still happen, Sam Amick of The Athletic is reporting that George currently remains part of the Clippers' long-term plans.
What’s more, one of the players who was known to have clashed a bit with Paul George — that being Montrezl Harrell — was not invited back to the Clippers in free agency and promptly signed with the Lakers. If there was friction between George and some of his teammates, as has been reported in several places, it seems to have been somewhat minimized by the roster moves and the Clippers, sources say, remain fully committed to George as part of their program.
George averaged 21.5 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game for the Clippers last season. However, he came up short in Game 7 against the Nuggets, as did Leonard.
Both Kawhi and PG are under immense pressure to deliver the goods this season. It's going to be fascinating to see if the two stars can come through this time around.