No. 1 LA Clippers player who can take a step forward next season: Paul George
Paul George stepped up big-time when Leonard went down for the LA Clippers last postseason.
When he had the chance to be the number one option, he got even better.
The only thing he struggled with throughout the series was his three-point shooting. That three-point shooting was a struggle for a reason, however.
PG went from shooting 7.7 threes per game in the regular season to 8.6 when Leonard was out in the playoffs. He wasn’t used to that type of workload. It’s really no surprise that he shot just 30.4% from deep.
He had to play his game, and make up for the 5.5 three-point shot attempts that Kawhi was shooting in the postseason. It created a different type of approach for George.
For instance, people called out George for shooting poorly from three in our Game 6, series ending loss against the Suns.
However, George was smothered on each shot, and was double-teamed on one of them. None of the shots were off of passes, and he was trying to create every time.
PG wasn’t used to being a full-time first option. He hasn’t been since the 2016-2017 season. That year, he shot 39.3% from deep.
George simply needed some more reps as the number one, and he got them in this postseason. He’s ready to play without Kawhi, and will excel in the new role.
All three of these players are ready. All three will be taking major steps forward this upcoming season.