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LA Clippers: 3 stats that should improve with Paul George back

By Ryan Snellings

LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 13: Paul George #13 of the LA Clippers warms up before a pre-season game against Melbourne United on October 13, 2019 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Chris Elise/NBAE via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 13: Paul George #13 of the LA Clippers warms up before a pre-season game against Melbourne United on October 13, 2019 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Chris Elise/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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LOS ANGELES, CA – OCTOBER 22: Paul George #13 of the LA Clippers is seen prior to a game against the LA Clippers on October 22, 2019 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – OCTOBER 22: Paul George #13 of the LA Clippers is seen prior to a game against the LA Clippers on October 22, 2019 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images) /

2. 3 point shooting

Another big hole for the Clippers this season has been their shooting from deep. Add in the recent loss of Landry Shamet and the return of Paul George couldn’t be any better timed.

The Clippers shoot just 30.2 three-pointers per game, which is on the lower end of the league, good enough for 21st. Last season, George (who was the second-highest scorer in the NBA) attempted 9.8 per game. Having him on the court to shoot threes will be huge.

The fact that he can create a lot of these attempts off the dribble will also be huge. Outside of Kawhi and Lou Will, the Clippers lack players who can create for themselves. George is able to do that from deep which will obviously open the floor for the rest of the team.

It’s not just the volume shooting that the Clippers need though.

Accuracy from deep has been an even bigger problem for the team. Shooting just 32.2% from deep, the Clippers sit at 27th in three-point percentage. We all saw how bad they looked in the first half against Houston, where they knocked down a mere 12% of their looks from deep in the first half.

While George isn’t a sharpshooter per se, he’s still pretty damn good at knocking them down. Of his nearly 10 attempts per game last season, he converted on 38.6%. Of players that played more than 30 minutes per game last season, George ranks 18th in shooting percentage from deep, ahead of the likes of Khris Middleton, CJ McCollum, and James Harden.

If the Clips can get just a few more threes to fall each game, they should be able to put the game away early. We may not see their full peak deadliness from deep until Shamet returns, but having PG out there sure will help.

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