Paul George hasn’t been shooting the way he was early in the season for the LA Clippers.
Now, it’s worth pointing out that the way he was shooting was nearly impossible to maintain over 82 games. He was shooting 46.5% from the field and 37.3% from deep in his first 12 games. He was putting up 26.4 points per game.
Since then, however, he’s shot 37.1% from the field and 27.1% from three in his last 11 games. All in all, he’s now down to 41.9% from the field (worst since 2015-2016) and 32.3% from deep (worst since his rookie year in 2010-2011). There’s no need to panic, however.
Paul George will find his stroke again for the LA Clippers.
Paul George is still averaging 25.1 points per game for the LA Clippers. That’s the most he ever has for this team, and the second-most he ever has in his entire 12-year career. PG13 is clearly still finding ways to produce when it comes to scoring, even when he’s having a tough time staying efficient in his shooting.
When a star becomes the No.1 option on his team, which PG has been ever since Kawhi Leonard’s been out, it’s an adjustment. Opposing defenses are going to throw everything, including the kitchen sink at George, as they can. They’ll be willing to risk role players beating them, and gameplan to stop George first and foremost.
George is averaging the most field goal attempts of his entire career (21.9) and the second-most three-point attempts of his entire career (8.6). It’s a new style of basketball that he’s adjusting to. He’s still putting up over 25 points per game, which proves that even with him being forced to adapt his game, he’s still finding ways to contribute as a scorer.
His shot hasn’t gone away. In these last 11 games he’s shot 91.4% from the free throw line. That’s even better than in those first 12 games, where he was shooting 86.7% from the stripe.
It goes to show that he hasn’t lost his stroke. Defenses are figuring out how to guard him more effectively. Coming into the season, teams still had to get a feel for how to play PG as the No. 1 in Ty Lue’s system.
If his shot is still right when nobody’s guarding him, it’s not a technical issue. He simply just needs to navigate how to be effective as a shooter when he’s being guarded differently. A veteran player who has had many different roles with three different teams over the course of his career; he’ll figure it out.
I also know this because every other aspect of his game is doing just fine. He’s averaging the most rebounds per game (7.3) he ever has as a Clipper and the third-most of his career. He’s averaging a career-high 5.5 assists, and that’s with his best teammate and offensive option not having stepped on the court yet this year.
He’s still doing some good things on offense, and he’s still averaging 1.8 steals on D. That’s the most he’s had in LA, and that’s again with him now being tasked to guard the opposition’s best player with two-time Defensive Player of the Year Leonard not in the mix yet.
PG will be just fine. Expect a turnaround in his shooting by the end of 2021