LA Clippers Rumors: Paul George to return next week
After having surgery on both shoulders this summer, Paul George may make his return to the court for the LA Clippers in the next week.
Clipper Nation may not have to wait too much longer for Paul George to step onto the court. According to a report by Sam Amick of The Athletic (subscription required), the LA Clippers are hoping to have the All-Star back sometime next week.
Amick says sources close to the Clippers have next week’s back-to-back at Houston and at New Orleans as the target date. He also notes that if PG does, in fact, return for one of the games, he will not play in the other.
With Kawhi Leonard missing the second first game of a back-to-back tonight, it almost makes complete sense. With two superstars, the Clippers can afford to stagger when they rest. If Leonard does continue to miss the first game of back-to-backs, George can miss the second. By doing so, there won’t be as much fall off in production, keeping the Clippers competitive while saving their stars for the postseason.
George returning next week does come as a little bit of a surprise, but considering he has been working in 3-on-3 drills and running through walkthroughs, it does seem like the wait was coming to an end.
Many of us will be excited to see what Doc Rivers does with the starting lineup once George returns. He has told the media that the starting lineup will be a revolving door at times, but one would have to think he will try and get some sort of consistency going.
George’s return should also help the team’s defense. The Clippers’ defensive potential was highly-touted in the offseason, but after seven games they are smack dab in the middle of the league in defensive rating at 16th.
Opponents should be worried about what he will do for the team’s offense. George finished second in scoring in the league last season and will be taking the court for the team with the third-highest offensive rating in the association.
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While we don’t have an official return date from the team just yet, this news is still exciting. In one week, Clippers’ fans might finally get a look at this team at its full potential.