How will history look back on Paul George?
To most NBA fans, Paul George is an undisputed All-Star, one of the smoothest players in the NBA, who uses his combination of height, agility, and strength to make scoring look easy. It’s easy to see why history should look back on PG13 kindly. The former Fresno State Bulldog is a seven-time All-Star, has six all NBA team appearances, four all-defensive teams, finished 3rd in MVP voting in 2019, battled back from one of the most brutal injuries to happen on the hardwood in 2014 during a team USA scrimmage when he suffered a fractured his tibia-fibula while contesting a layup. But for as many highlights he has had, there have arguably been an equal amount of lowlights. In 2018 he dubbed himself “Playoff P” only to get bested by a rookie and get clamped by a guy who is often mistaken for a math teacher. In the 2019 playoffs Damian Lillard famously shot the game-winning 37 foot 3 pointer over Playoff P, George later added salt to the wound by dubbing it a “bad shot.”
That wasn’t the only famous game-winner given up by George, the following year in the NBA bubble 2020 he got got by Devin Booker who hit an unbelievable pull-up J to keep the famous “Bubble Suns” undefeated.
Later that year in a crucial game 7, George infamously hit the side of the backboard in a corner 3 en route to a 2 for 11 shooting night from beyond the arch resulting in the Clippers blowing a 3–1 lead. For every time Paul George fans (such as myself) jump out of their seats, they find themselves slapping their forehead with their palms minutes later. For example, in Game 5 of Suns vs Clippers, in the fourth quarter, George races towards the basketball blowing by his defender, and scores what probably should have been an and-1 layup. But in classic George fashion less than two minutes later he loses his handle against a much lesser defender in Devin Booker which leads to an and-1 layup on the other end. It would be unfair to call George a scrub because of the accolades previously mentioned, but he is way off from perfect. So how will history look back on PG13?
One of the reasons it is so hard to talk about Paul George’s legacy is because he has been an overachiever and an underachiever in the time of year where players are under the most scrutiny, the playoffs. In the 2013 and 2014 postseasons, he led the Indiana Pacers to the Eastern Conference Finals where he battled Lebron and the other members of Miami’s infamous “Big Three” without another A-tier All-Star by his side. I’m not saying the Pacer’s role players weren’t good at their job, they just happened to run into a group of players who were better at their job. Last postseason alone in the 8 games that the Clippers played without Kawhi Leonard, who even George himself said was their best player, the Clippers won 4 out of the 8 games led by George against the NBA’s top two teams based on regular-season record. According to FiveThirtyEight, they were only projecting two wins one out of those eights, yet they won four with George leading the team. But because it’s Paul George, he has also underperformed to a similar extent. In his two years in OKC where he shared the court with Mr. Triple Double, Carmelo Anthony, and a future Team USA member in Jerami Grant he only managed to win three playoff games in 11 tries never making it out of the first round. Also in the 2020 NBA bubble, he put up subpar numbers including his worst playoff effective field goal percentage since the 2012 playoffs. Not to mention, he gained a new nickname that is as catchy as it is brutal, Pandemic P. That year, the Clippers were the sexy pick to win it all. According to ESPN, 54.5 percent of their analysts picked them to win it all. The common theme seems to be that Paul George and his teams outperform expectations and make it farther when George is their best player. The three times George has made it to the Conference Finals, he has been the best player on that starting lineup. Does that mean Paul George can’t play with other superstars, probably no? In the two years George has played alongside Leonard, he has posted career-high efficient field goal percentage numbers in the regular season.
If Paul George wants to win the ultimate legacy improver in the NBA, a championship, he probably will need another star. The Clippers without Kawhi Leonard offer an elite supporting cast, but when they face a team with more stars and a near equal bench, it’s clear that they are going to be the inferior team.
George, although he is an All-Star, is not a top-tier All-Star like the KDs and the Currys of the world. It is clear that he is on a tier below those players. One of the most infuriating things about watching George is often his lack of self-confidence. He will often pass up a bad shot for a decent shot when the shot clock is dwindling. This doesn’t sound like a bad quality, it’s just that, if he wants to be on the same tier as a player like Durant, he has to have the confidence to take what casual fans would call “bad shots” and know that it doesn’t matter how many people are guarding him or who’s open. He has to be able to confidently say, “I’m the star, I take and make this shot.” A perfect example of this is Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Leading by one with roughly 50 seconds left, Kevin Durant gets the ball with 3 seconds left on the shot clock. Durant could’ve passed the ball to Joe Harris or Landry Shamet(two great shooters) for an open three but instead, he has the confidence to rise over a great defender in Kris Middleton, seemingly bobble the basketball then hit the game-sealing dagger from 30 feet. If Paul George were to have received this ball from Harden, he probably would’ve passed the ball or committed a shot clock violation. Of course, there is nothing wrong with passing the ball because it is probably the best play but what I believe separates the Paul Georges of the world from people like Durant is the killer confidence. The confidence to know that when the game is on the line, the best possible shot, is the one that you and no one else takes.
I’ve jumped around the question for a bit so here is my definitive answer. I think if Carmelo Anthony goes to the Hall Of Fame, then George should too. George likely has two years left of his prime and he is supposed to stay a Clipper until 2025 when he will be 35 years old. It’s unlikely he wins the ultimate legacy booster, the championship because Kawhi Leonard holds the entire fate of the Clippers in his huge hands. And also, he’s on the Clippers, not that the Clippers aren’t perennially good, but they’re the Clippers, which means the world will find a way to screw them, or they’ll do it themselves. Regardless of whether he goes to the Hall of Fame or not, I believe history should look back kindly on Paul George. He should be seen as one of the smoothest players of his generation who battled back from one of the most gruesome basketball injuries and who came closer than most to single-handedly defeat Goliath. Sure, he made some mistakes but the man has a signature shoe with Nike, which shouldn’t be seen as a small accomplishment. One of the most beautiful things about sports is that it gives us the chance to argue and debate so if you disagree with me, I won’t take it personally, but I may say “that’s a bad take” ; )
