LA Clippers: Three Reasons to be Optimistic Moving Forward

2. Paul George will be better next season.

Here’s one that’ll be touchy for LA Clippers fans. Despite what some would have you believe, Paul George is a reason to be hopeful in the coming seasons.

Remember that PG had major surgery on both of his shoulders in the offseason, saying that he didn’t feel 100% for most of the season. Remember that, including the playoffs, Paul George has played a total of 61 games since that surgery.

So he doesn’t even have a full season’s worth of games in his comeback from surgery. This isn’t an excuse, but we have to remember that he was rehabbing during this regular season. Also remember that, in the seeding games in the bubble, PG averaged 25.5/5/4, shooting 50% from 3 on 8 attempts a game.

The playoffs were a downturn for PG, but it wasn’t as bad as people are saying on social media. 20/6/4 is still a good statline, and George was hardly the only Clipper who couldn’t find his shot in the playoffs.

He’s still a 6’8 wing who can lock in on defense and has a sweet shooting stroke. Don’t let a few bad games in the playoffs make you totally write him off. Kawhi wanted to play with this dude for a reason.

It’s reasonable to think that Paul George will feel better next season. At 30 years old, he’s still in the prime of his career and will hopefully be looking to wipe the rough playoff ending out of our collective memories.

This will also be his first training camp with the team. It’s hard to overstate the impact that will have on PG next season. With more confidence in his shoulders and more comfort with the team, PG should come out even better next season than he was this season.