Despite drawing interest from Paul George to play in their playoffs, the Drew League did not allow the newly-acquired Oklahoma City Thunder forward to appear in it.
The announcement was made via the league’s Twitter account, and reported by Nate Jones of Goodwin Sports, citing that their rules clearly state that a player should see action in the regular season first before being allowed to suit up in the knockout rounds.
https://twitter.com/JonesOnTheNBA/status/894340526517886976
Hey, rules is rules! Tell him come earlier next year! https://t.co/8v02pgivI9
— Drew League (@DrewLeague) August 6, 2017
The 27-year-old Fresno State product attempted to suit up for the MHP squad that had Nick Young, Julius Randle, and JaVale McGee, as they went up against LAUNFD, which boasted James Harden, Bobby Brown, Montrzl Harrell, and top high school prospect Marvin Begley III on its lineup.
It would’ve been a great matchup to see Paul George George facing off against The Beard and company, as it will be the first time he’ll be seen playing competitive basketball since the Indiana Pacers were eliminated in last NBA season’s playoffs. It would have given his fans the chance to see where is conditioning is at this point of the summer.
Now with the Thunder, George must wait for the start of training camp, or join other summer leagues, to play competitively again. Despite the star power he would’ve brought to this year’s Drew League, their officials deserve a lot of credit for sticking true to their rules and not allowing a player with the All-Star forward’s stature to be given the red carpet by bending their policy.
Maybe next year, showing up earlier in the tournament wouldn't be a bad idea for Paul George, should he still wish to take part in the event by then.
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