Kawhi Leonard: 3 LA Clippers need to have a big Game 5 without the Claw
By Evan Desai
No. 2 LA Clipper who needs to have a big Game 5 with Kawhi Leonard out: Paul George
Nobody on the LA Clippers can improve their legacy in a Game 5 with no Kawhi Leonard more than Paul George.
George wasn’t bad in Game 4, leading the team in rebounds (16) and assists (6). Still, however, George ended up being the scapegoat for the loss when he struggled at the free throw line late.
If PG can improve his efficiency, nobody can criticize his performance at all. PG was 5 for 20 last game, and one of nine from three-point land.
Crazy thing is, he still had 23 points. Imagine what kind of stats he could put up if he can just up that efficiency a bit.
Look, the Clippers are asking a ton of PG in this series. No Kawhi means that he’s the new man in charge, and no Kawhi also means there’s much more to be in charge of.
In these last six games without Leonard, he’s averaged 29.2 points per game, 11 rebounds per game, and 6.2 assists per game. The world would notice and stop trashing the superstar if he could clean up that 34.8% completion percentage, 17.9% three-point percentage, and 65.7% free throw percentage.
The Clippers could find themselves a win if he does that too, and maybe come back to LA to a healthy Kawhi, and tie the series up.