Paul George and his struggles from the 2020 bubble postseason were very-well documented, but the Los Angeles Clippers star bounced back in spectacular fashion during the 2021 playoffs. Without Kawhi Leonard for half of the postseason, George was able to lead his team to the Western Conference Finals and nearly to the NBA Finals.
The Clippers, however, will now start their 2021-22 campaign without Leonard following his offseason surgery to repair a partially torn ACL. What does that mean for George?
For one, the Clippers spent a good chunk of their offseason re-signing their key free agents and building around Paul George. With Leonard expected to miss an unknown amount of time this season, the team went out and added Eric Bledsoe and Justise Winslow while retaining Reggie Jackson and Nicolas Batum.
Those four players will contribute on both ends of the court, taking the pressure off George to defend the best player and be the primary ball handler/scorer on the other end of the court.
Paul George averaged 22.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 5.2 assists on 46.7/41.1/86.8 shooting splits during the 2020-21 regular season. He upped that in the first 11 games of the postseason alongside Kawhi Leonard, averaging 24.9 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 5.2 assists on 44.4/36.1/89.5 splits.
paul george vs devin booker in the 3rd quarter of game 1 of the western conference finals was 1 of the best duels all year. back & fourth, both answering right after each other. some of the best shot making you’ll ever see.
what makes it better is mike breen was in legend mode. pic.twitter.com/rrPndqhqjq
— Jamal Cristopher (@JamCristopher) September 1, 2021
Once Leonard suffered his knee injury in Game 4 vs. the Utah Jazz, George put up 29.6 points, 11.0 rebounds, and 5.6 assists per game on 43.8/30.4/79/5 splits, showing that he could clearly lead a team when his number was called. Now, he'll have to do it over the course of an 82-game regular season.
Paul George's per-36 minutes averages without Kawhi Leonard on the court last season were 28.7 points, 7.6 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.3 steals on 46.6 percent shooting from the field and 38.0 percent percent from 3. With a jam-packed schedule that includes a league-high five sets of five games in seven nights, it's more than likely Tyronn Lue and the Clippers manage George's workload throughout the year.
The Clippers' front office made sure to acquire pieces that fit around Paul George this offseason. Bledsoe is a guy who was criminally misused by the New Orleans Pelicans last season. Under Ty Lue, he's primed for a bounce-back year with the team he started his NBA career with. Justise Winslow has shown flashes of his game for years with the Miami Heat and Memphis Grizzlies, but hasn't been able to stay healthy long enough to put it all together. He says he's coming into this season totally healthy.
🧵 Best of 2020-21: #NBAAssistWeek
No. 1: @Yg_Trece no-look dime. @nicolas88batum dagger! pic.twitter.com/3cm9Dh3RZw
— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) September 7, 2021
All of this is exactly why there's a strong chance Paul George is primed for a big year and even be a top-three finalist for MVP.
George finished third in MVP voting during the 2018-19 season behind winner Giannis Antetokounmpo and runner-up James Harden. Since then, George has seen his shooting efficiency increase from all over the court. Part of that has to do with him being the second-best player on both teams, but now, he'll be able to showcase his talents as the clear No. 1 option for the first time in a long time. That is, at least until Kawhi Leonard is able to return.
I predict Paul George will finish the 2021-22 regular season averaging 25.3 points, 7.4 rebounds, 5.4 assists, and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 44.2 percent from the field, 39.4 percent from beyond the arc, and 91.3 percent from the line.
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