Bleacher Report believes Paul George, formerly of the OKC Thunder, has much to prove heading into this year’s postseason. Frankly, we couldn’t agree more
Former OKC Thunder star forward, Paul George, originally turned himself into a household name in the postseason during his early days in the league.
After two straight years of going toe-to-toe with LeBron James and the star-studded Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals in 2013 & 2014, George (then of the Indiana Pacers) was bestowed the moniker of “Playoff P” — albeit, self-anointed — for his infectious levels of play where he averaged 21.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 1.2 steals per game on 46 percent shooting from the field and 41 percent shooting from deep.
Now, seven years removed from his late-round excursions with Indianapolis, the forward has only managed to advance out of the first round just once, with it coming last season where he and the “Championship or bust” Los Angeles Clippers completely busted in the Semifinals, relinquishing a 3-1 series lead to the Denver Nuggets.
Now, while the blame for their collapse can’t completely fall on the shoulders of PG-13 — after all, it takes a full team effort to both win and lose games in this league –, his Game Seven performance where he posted just 10 points and four rebounds on 25 percent shooting from the field, 18 percent shooting from deep and registered a -20 box plus/minus rating will forever live in infamy.
A player of his magnitude is expected to play at their best when under the bright lights of the postseason. We’ve seen this far too often in the game’s history, where players who are known as great regular-season performers tend to fizzle out in the postseason or, in more light terms, just can’t seem to will their team forward — ex. Carmelo Anthony, Tracy McGrady, Chris Paul, etc.
A career 20.2 point per game scorer who’s a 7x All-Star, 5x All-NBA, and a 4x All-Defensive selection in the midst of a season where he’s posting 23.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, 5.2 assists, and 1.2 steals on 47 percent shooting from the floor and 41 percent shooting from deep, Paul George rightly holds the distinction of being a top-talent on virtually any team in the association.
With this label, however, comes the pressures of trying to be the guy within a unit who can help guide them to glory.
In Los Angeles, the veteran has fellow star, Kawhi Leonard, to share the load as top-dog which, in theory, should help ease the load for George but, unfortunately, things have yet to go according to plan.
Because of all of this, Bleacher Report writer, Dan Favale, believes the former OKC Thunder star still has a lot to prove heading into this year’s postseason, citing his highly publicized inconsistency over his past several second-season outings:
"Though he has never regressed into a total no-show or liability, his efficiency has taken serious hits. He shot 34.8 percent on twos during his final postseason series with the Indiana Pacers in 2017 and is knocking down under 34 percent of his three-point attempts over his past three playoff appearances. His lackluster shooting played a role in last year’s Los Angeles Clippers collapse against the Denver Nuggets, a rut he capped off with a 4-of-16 clip (2-of-11 from three) during Game 7.Struggles and inconsistency of this magnitude won’t cut it for someone who deemed himself Playoff P. (That self-awarded nickname is fair meme game.) Lingering disappointment is actually a compliment, albeit one delivered with the back of a hand. It reflects the higher standard to which he’s held."
Favale went on to state that the Los Angeles Clippers are certainly deserving of being considered a title contender heading into the 2021 playoffs. While this is unequivocally true, it’ll come down to Paul George finding his stride to turn this belief into a legitimate claim.