Despite missing the five of the last six games with a hamstring strain, Paul George will travel with the LA Clippers on their annual Grammy trip.
Good news Clipper Nation! Paul George will travel with the LA Clippers on their annual Grammy trip. The five game trip (six, if you count the January 28 game against the Lakers) starts on Saturday versus the New Orleans Pelicans.
Although as of writing there has been no official injury report put out, we have to assume that George at least sits out this game. Even if he misses that game, his return seems like it will be soon.
With Kawhi Leonard likely sitting out of one of their back-to-back games, George very well could come back for the other. It would make the most sense for Kawhi to play on Tuesday versus the Dallas Mavericks and sit on Wednesday versus the less talented Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday.
George coming back on Wednesday would give him that one extra day to rest and would be a better chance for the Clippers to earn a blowout win, meaning he wouldn’t have to play much, if at all, in the fourth quarter.
Getting him back on the court sooner rather then later (assuming he is healthy) makes sense if the team wants to get back into rhythm before the January 28 matchup versus the Lakers. The Clippers have won the previous two matchups and should it come down to seeding being tight, the Lakers will want to try and tie the head-to-head record.
On the season, George has played in just 26 games. He missed the start of the year as he recovered from surgery to both of his shoulders. In those 26 games though, he has looked great to the tune of 23.5 points on 42.9% shooting (39.5% from deep), 3.7 assists, 6.0 rebounds, 1.5 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game.
The return of PG is something to get excited about. The team has been electric the last two games and adding George back to that mix will only make the Clippers better. As soon as we get an official return date we will let you know, so make sure to follow on Twitter and to keep checking back here.