With Landry Shamet going down due to an ankle sprain, the timing of Paul George’s return couldn’t be any better for the LA Clippers.
It’s no secret that the LA Clippers and fans alike are excited for the return of Paul George. Through ten games, the team has looked solid going 7-3 in that span. With George returning to that 7-3 lineup, the sky was seemingly the limit. That was, until, Landry Shamet got hurt.
Shamet suffered a Grade 2 ankle sprain during the team’s win over the Toronto Raptors. According to the team, there is no timetable for his return. George is slated to return either tonight against the Houston Rockets or tomorrow versus the New Orleans Pelicans. Either way, the team will not go long without a high-quality starting two-guard.
The starting lineup, assuming both George and Kawhi Leonard play, should be the following:
- PG – Patrick Beverley
- SG – Paul George
- SF – Kawhi Leonard
- PF – Patrick Patterson
- C – Ivica Zubac
Not too shabby, huh?
Let’s go ahead and preface this. I want Landry Shamet back on the court as soon as possible. His shooting is invaluable to this team and they will be so much better with him on the court. Personally, I want him as the starting two-guard with George and Leonard shifting down to the three and the four, respectively. But all things considered, this isn’t a major loss.
I’m talking simply from a numbers perspective. Ask anyone: If you had the chance to replace Landry Shamet with Paul George, would you? That question is going to get a resounding yes. George may not be as high of a percentage shooter from deep that Shamet is (er, well, can be since he has gotten off to a slow start), but he can obviously light up the opponent.
George finished second in scoring last season, attempting 9.8 threes per game. Assuming he shoots at a similar clip, he will be attempting more than Shamet has so far this year. George is obviously also a better defender. His size at 6’8″ will allow him to switch on opposing wings (and even some bigs) with a lot more ease than Shamet.
An injury is never a good thing, but the timing of this is serendipitous. With George replacing Shamet in the starting lineup, there shouldn’t be any sort of decrease in play, but instead possibly improvement.