The Los Angeles Clippers season came to an end on Friday night, as they suffered a 114-101 loss to the Dallas Mavericks in Game 6 and were eliminated from the playoffs. With Kawhi Leonard forced to sit out of this game again due to right knee inflammation, the spotlight was on Paul George, but with the team's season on the line, he failed to step up and deliver for the Clippers.
George's numbers on the night weren't horrible (18 PTS, 11 REB, 5 AST, 6/18 FGM), but as we can see, he struggled with his efficiency on offense, and was getting torched by both Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving on defense. With another disappointing season in the books for Los Angeles, fans quickly pointed their fingers at George and bashed him for his latest poor postseason performance.
Paul George's future with the Clippers suddenly up in the air
With Leonard missing four of the six games due to his lingering knee injury, George needed to be at his best in order for the Clippers to have a shot. But as his per game numbers show (19.5 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 4.8 APG, 41.1 FG%), he struggled with the extra attention he got from the Mavericks defenders. And without his fellow running mate in Leonard, Los Angeles didn't really stand a chance.
As a result of another season in which LA failed to meet expectations, questions have begun to pop up regarding George's future with the team. George has a $48.8 million player option in his deal, but he's made it known he wants an extension with the team, rather than opting into the final year of his current deal. If the two sides can't figure things out, he could opt out of his deal and hit free agency.
If that were to happen, George would surely have no shortage of suitors, with the Philadelphia 76ers and Orlando Magic being two teams linked to him. Of course, the most likely scenario is that George ends up staying in town, but there's a decent shot that the George-Leonard pairing has reached its endpoint for Los Angeles.
While injuries certainly haven't helped, this duo has been unable to reach the gaudy expectations surrounding them since they showed up in LA. Leonard had been injured a bunch, placing a bigger burden on George's shoulder, and while he's had success carrying the team in the past, that wasn't the case this time around the Mavericks.
When you keep on losing like the Clippers have been over the past few years, it's clear that changes need to be made. Even the additions of James Harden and Russell Westbrook, who both also struggled against Dallas, wasn't enough to get this team over the hump. Something has to change this offseason, and given his contract situation, George could end up being the guy who initiates that change.
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