Earlier in the year, Paul George wasn’t getting any love for the NBA’s MVP award, and there was at least a reason why.
The LA Clippers weren’t winning. PG was putting up video game numbers, but the team started out 1-4. We all realistically know that nobody was going to vote for PG to win the MVP, regardless of whether that was right or wrong.
The Clippers, however, responded with a seven-game winning streak, and while they dropped a game to the Bulls on Sunday, they entered Tuesday night’s game 7-1 in their last eight. The oddsmakers over at WynnBET, however, didn’t care. Even with PG13 putting up crazy numbers, and his team winning at a crazy rate, they did not care.
Paul George’s MVP odds hardly improved despite he and the LA Clippers pulling off an insane win streak.
Paul George is sitting at just +2500 MVP odds on the season. That means he’s tied for seventh (Jimmy Butler and Ja Morant) in the NBA.
So there are eight other players who are having better years than a guy who’s averaging 26.5 points per game, 8.2 rebounds per game, 5.2 assists per game, and 2.2 steals per game? I don’t think so.
Well, I actually know there aren’t. We all do.
Before when his MVP odds were down, he was putting up even better numbers, but wasn’t winning. So, PG sacrificed his numbers (which are still elite by the way) to win games with his team, and now that’s not good enough either? This makes no sense.
He’s only improved his odds from +3000 to +2500, and that shouldn’t be the case.
He carried the Clippers through that seven-game win streak; putting up 25.6/8 (R)/6.4 (A)/1.6 while shooting 44/37/90. He’s been carrying the Clippers all season with a ridiculous slew of injuries to key players Marcus Morris Sr., Serge Ibaka, Jason Preston, Keon Johnson, and franchise guy Kawhi Leonard.
It appeared prior to this year that the outside critics only dislike George in the postseason, but now they’re noticeably dissing the star in the regular season too.