Paul George has proven to the world that he is one of the best players in the NBA. George is elite on both ends of the floor as he can score at all three levels, facilitate and create open shots for teammates, and defend at a very high level. George is a generational talent that the NBA will never see again. George has put together a Hall of Fame resume in 12 years of playing in the NBA.
Through George’s 12 years in the NBA, he has accomplished seven All-Star selections, six All-NBA selections, four All-Defensive selections, a 2013 Most Improved Player Award, a 2019 Steals Title, and he was also named to the 2011 All-Rookie team. As George is entering his 13th NBA season, he has yet to win the NBA’s Most Valuable Player award. The season before joining the LA Clippers, George finished 3rd in the 2019 MVP voting behind James Harden and Giannis Antetokounmpo. George also finished 3rd in Defensive Player of the Year voting behind Antetokounmpo and Rudy Gobert.
The 2022-23 NBA season will be George’s fourth season as a LA Clipper. George has had some very memorable moments in a Clipper jersey as he also holds many franchise records. George has yet to play an NBA season over 54 games in a Clipper uniform. In the 2022-23 NBA season, George and the LA Clippers will be fully healthy. Let’s dive in and see why George could not only win MVP in the 2022-23 NBA season but also a championship as well.
The MVPG campaign is in full effect.
Paul George has had some great seasons as an LA Clipper as he was named to the 2021 All-Star team in his second season. This is also the season George, along with Kawhi Leonard, helped the Clippers come back from back-to-back 0-2 deficits in the postseason as they reached their first-ever Western Conference Finals.
That season George played 54 games averaging a phenomenal 23.3 points per game, 6.6 rebounds, and 5.2 assists. George was also very efficient shooting 46.7% from the field as well as 41.1% from the three-point line and 86.8% from the free-throw line. Up to the 2021 NBA season, George had averaged a career-high in assists per game that year. This was George’s second-best season as an NBA player.
The 2021 season was George’s most recent season in which he was healthy, as he would miss the majority of the 2022 season due to a torn UCL ligament. George enters the 2022-23 NBA season fully healthy. After George returned from his UCL injury, he put on some very notable performances. In George’s first game back, he dropped 34 points and six assists along with four steals on 50% from the field while also draining six three-pointers in the comeback win versus the Utah Jazz.
Just a few games later versus the Sacramento Kings, George dropped a near triple-double with 23 points, 12 assists, and eight rebounds while shooting 57.1% from the field and draining six three-pointers in the blowout win. In the LA Clippers first play-in game versus the Minnesota Timberwolves, George dropped 34 points and five assists while draining six three-pointers in 41 minutes.
After taking a look at these performances, it is safe to say that a healthy George is a scary sight. Not only is George one of the best three-level scorers in the NBA, but he is also one of the best perimeter defenders.
In 2021, George finished the regular season with a defensive rating of 110.3. This was a career-high for George. This is also the season George averaged 2.4 deflections per game as well as six contested shots per game. To put this into perspective, Ben Simmons, who finished 2nd in the Defensive Player of the Year voting, averaged 3.5 deflections per game and 4.7 contested shots per game. This clearly shows that George has not lost a step defensively through his 12 seasons.
What also may stand out about George’s 2021 season is his per 36 minutes. George played 33.7 minutes per game. George’s per 36 averages for that season came out to 24.9 points per game, 7.1 rebounds per game, and 5.5 assists per game. When the postseason came around, George was beyond ready to change the narratives and he did just that. George ended the postseason averaging 26.9 points per game, 9.6 rebounds per game, and 5.4 assists per game while also playing 40.8 minutes per game.
After analyzing George’s 2021 season, looking through some notable accomplishments, and revisiting some remarkable performances, it is very clear that an MVP season may be coming next. George and the LA Clippers look to make a deep postseason run in hopes of winning a title. After some well-deserved rest, George will make sure the rest of the NBA knows that he is coming for the Most Valuable Player award. George will be fully healthy entering the 2022-23 NBA season. As everyone knows, a healthy PG13 is one of the scariest sights in all of basketball.