Los Angeles Clippers forward Paul George responded to critics questioning his ability to play through injury.

George missed the first-round playoff series against the Phoenix Suns after a knee sprain ended his regular season following a nasty fall against the Oklahoma City Thunder on March 31.

There was hope that George would be able to return for the second round had Los Angeles gotten past Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and company.

However, with Kawhi Leonard also missing the rest of the series after Game 2, it proved too tough a task as Phoenix eventually won the series in five games.

Many critics questioned George and why he didn't just play through the injury to help the Clippers in what many viewed as their last chance at a first-ever championship.

George addressed this criticism on his podcast and explained how if he could play through an injury, he definitely would have as it's something he's done in the past.

Only this wasn't the case this time given the severity of his injury.

“The biggest concern, when the injury first happened, was [that] my leg felt like it was going to buckle and go the other way every time I took a step,” George said on Podcast P with Paul George presented by Wave Sports + Entertainment. “So when you got that on your mind and you're coming back, you're thinking about that like damn, if I take this step, I know I'm not ready yet.

“I was going through the workouts and like ‘yeah I look good doing s**t but I’m not doing it the same level these guys are doing it right now.’”

So all in all, it would have been very stupid for George to play through his injury given those circumstances — all just to appease some critics who expected him to play through it.