LOS ANGELES – Paul George vs. Erik Spoelstra has been a matchup to watch for almost a decade now. The Los Angeles Clippers star and Miami Heat coach saw their first big matchup against one another back in George's second year in the league as a member of the Indiana Pacers and Spoelstra's fourth year as Miami's head coach.

The two had three consecutive battles in the Eastern Conference Playoffs, including consecutive Eastern Conference Finals matchups in 2013 and 2014. In the earlier matchups, George was still finding his footing in the league and with Indiana. As the 10th overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, George had potential as a shooter and a defender, but there were concerns about his ability to create for himself entering the NBA Draft.

Danny Granger's unfortunate injuries coincided with Paul George's arrival, and the Pacers were forced to put the ball in his hands. What they saw develop in front of their own eyes was a rare, two-way superstar.

“I think he came in initially as a guy with great potential. Early on, they leaned on him to be a defender and a playmaker and he's really developed obviously in a decade to be one of the top scorers in this league,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said ahead of the Heat's matchup with the Clippers on Thursday. “We have great respect for him.”

With Kawhi Leonard missing the start of the season and not expected to return anytime soon, George and his teammates have likened his role to that of his Indiana days. So far, he has been carrying the offensive workload and picking up the opposing team's best players on a night-to-night basis.

Spoelstra sees similarities in George's role from seven, eight years ago to now. And to Spo, it isn't the least bit surprising.

“He’s always been capable of being a leading guy for a franchise,” Erik Spoelstra added. “That’s the Paul George we know from the Miami Heat. We did have those battles with him when he was in Indiana and he was a problem. One of the best two-way players in this game. Way back when he was young, he used to line up every single game either against Dwyane [Wade] or LeBron [James] and then shoulder big offensive responsibilities on the other end. He was a great impact player and that’s just what you’re seeing him do now.

“There’s been several years in his career where he’s been in conversation for MVP. You can’t say that about every player in this league.”

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George has been on a tear to start the season, sitting third in the league in scoring and second in steals. Through 11 games, he has led the Clippers to a 7-4 record averaging 26.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, 5.4 assists, and 2.5 steals per game on 45.6 percent shooting from the field and 36.1 percent from .

Led by George, the Clippers have the third-best defensive rating in the league behind only the 10-1 Golden State Warriors and 7-4 Denver Nuggets. Their defense is what has allowed them to stay in games when their offense was struggling to find itself in the first five games.

Tyronn Lue is in his second season as head coach of the Clippers, and even he admits he's a bit surprised by just how engaged and active Paul George has been on the defensive end every game this season.

“We knew he could score the basketball,” Lue said of George. “We knew he was one of the top two-way players in the league, but I think just his defense this year, flying around, deflections, steals, I think taking charges, diving on the floor for loose balls, he really set the tone for our team early. I think defensively, when you have your best player going all out, the way he has defensively, it really means a lot to our young guys, and so they gotta follow his lead and he's done a great job with that.”

George won Western Conference Player of the Week for the first time this season. It won't be the last, says Reggie Jackson.

“I don't think we've seen his best games,” Jackson said after a game against the Blazers. “When a guy like that competes the way he does, everybody around him has to elevate their game, so I think he's leading by example for us and is putting the onus on all of us to go out here and be the best version of ourselves and, yeah, it's been phenomenal. It's been phenomenal to be by his side and be for this group.”

Erik Spoelstra and the Miami Heat have championship aspirations, just like Paul George and the LA Clippers. Miami played without its best player, Jimmy Butler, while the Clippers battled without its best in Kawhi Leonard. If Leonard is able to return somewhere down the line, there's always a chance we'll see George and Spoelstra square up once again in the postseason.