Dejounte Murray praises Paul George: “I’m still that guy rooting for him”

Both LA Clippers‘ star Paul George and San Antonio Spurs standout Dejounte Murray have quite a bit in common.

The two of them both went through what were supposed to be career-altering injuries earlier in their careers, and instead bounced back from the adversity. After the Clips played the Spurs, PG13 had a lot to say about Murray. Murray had quite a bit of praise for George as well.

And it’s not even just the fact that Murray and PG overcame serious injuries like the ones they dealt with that makes them similar. It’s also the fact that both of them started out their careers shaky as shooters, and were able to take their games to the next level. George was right in that Murray, who began his career as a 33.2% three-point shooter in his first four years, has impressively developed into a 34.7% three-point shooter this year.

As for George, he shot just 29.7% from deep and 76.2% from the stripe his rookie year. Since, he’s shot 38.3% from deep and 85.1% from the line.

Dejounte Murray’s comments on Clippers’ star Paul George show how respected he should be around the league.

All fans and players around basketball should respect LA Clippers’ All-Star SG/SF Paul George the way Dejounte Murray does. During the game, PG surpassed Kobe Bryant on the all-time made three-pointers list to take the 19th spot (1,828 threes). He is a seven-time All-Star, a six-time All-NBA selection (one First-Team), and a four-time All-Defensive team selection (two First-Team).

Despite this, PG has been subject to much criticism in the past several years. Much of the criticism has come from some playoff runs where he has underachieved considering the nickname he created for himself in ‘Playoff P.’ However, last year, when he willed the Clips to the Western Conference Finals after Kawhi Leonard went down in Game 4 of the Western Conference Semifinals (when LA was down 2-1), many still criticized George.

PG critics made him the subject of ridicule for some clutch missed free throws George had in the WCF, as well as rough shooting nights in Games 4 and 6. They conveniently missed the fact that George put up 29.6 points per game, 11 rebounds per game, 5.6 assists per game, and 1.4 steals per game ever since Leonard tore his ACL.

As for Murray, however, he’s certainly not one of those blind critics.

No matter what criticism PG faces from outside critics, Murray hit the nail on the head.

PG has a fan in Murray, who feels the same way about PG13 as Clipper Nation does.