LA Clippers: Paul George’s Absence May be Good for the Team
The LA Clippers are still without Paul George as he recovers from a bone edema in his toe. In the four games this injury has caused him to miss, the Clippers are 2-2, with wins over Minnesota and Chicago and losses to Boston and Sacramento.
It’s never a good thing when a player misses time, and it’s especially never good when a player as important as Paul George is to the LA Clippers misses games. But for a team that’s still trying to figure out who exactly they are, there could be a silver lining to all this.
The LA Clippers may benefit from having to figure things out while Paul George is recovering.
We’re honestly seeing it already. After a start to the season that could optimistically be described as “disappointing,” the bench for the Clippers is starting to put the pieces together. Lou Williams might finally be feeling healthy and back to himself, and Ivica Zubac is pulling it together. Terance Mann has also been a pleasant surprise this season, which is a nice counterbalance to the disappointing start of the year for Luke Kennard.
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Not only that, but Kawhi Leonard is putting together an incredible stretch of games that has kept the team afloat, which is exactly what we knew was needed going into Paul George’s absence
I’m not saying this is all happening because of Paul George missing time. I’m also not saying that we’re better without George. But the secondary players for the LA Clippers have seized on their opportunities. Certainly a guy like Terance Mann wouldn’t have as many chances to contribute if George was still eating up minutes.
Coach Lue’s staggering of Kawhi and Paul George is, of course, a very good thing. Always having one of our superstars on the floor keeps the LA Clippers from ever getting as stagnant as they could. But, with a superstar on the floor, it’s easier for a guy like Kennard to say “hey, I could take this open shot, or I could kick it to the MVP candidate.”
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Now, without an MVP candidate on the floor always, our guys probably feel like they have a bit more freedom to work, and that’s paying off in spades. If you combine this newly encouraged and reinvigorated bench with the incredible starting lineup once Paul George comes back, the LA Clippers are going to be a force to be reckoned with at full health.