Paul George's hip injury has been a reason for concern after falling flat in Game 2 against the Utah Jazz.
George shot the lights out in Game 1, leading the team with 36 points and a blistering 8-of-11 shooting from beyond the arc, which he found tough to replicate on Wednesday, going only 6-of-21 from the field and 4-of-12 from distance.
The All-Star forward noted his injury has bothered him more at the offensive end of the ball, preventing his freedom of movement.
“It's tougher for me offensively to have that burst and that push,” said George. “Defensively I use angles. I know how to read guys, I know how to shade guys in certain directions. For the most part defending how I want to defend them, pushing them the direction I want them to go.”
“Offensively is [not] having that push and that explosiveness to kind of go by guys”
Paul George says his hip contusion is affecting him more on offense than defense. Missing burst. Can play angles on defense. pic.twitter.com/pOlrK6UnZs
— Erik Horne (@ErikkHorne) April 20, 2018
More than half of George's field goal attempts are coming from distance during the postseason, while his season average is at 45.2 percent.
His reliance on the three-point shot is partly due to the way he's being defended and partly because of his restricted movement due to the injury, making the long shot a more comfortable one at the time being.
The Thunder will need a more effective version of George to go through in this series, facing a tough crowd in Utah for Games 3 and 4, starting on Saturday night.
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