Los Angeles Clippers: Paul George Must Step Up In Round Two

With the Los Angeles Clippers set for a second-round matchup with the Denver Nuggets, they will need more from Paul George.

Despite defeating the Mavericks in a series-winning game six, Los Angeles Clippers star Paul George is still struggling to find his touch on the offensive end. After dropping 35 points in game five it looked as though PG had regathered his mojo, but after a promising start to game six, his bucket getting prowess seems to have abandoned him once more.

In 40 minutes of play, the six-time All Star posted a dismal 14 points from 19 attempts, including 2-of-7 from beyond the arc. What would normally be regarded as a poor performance by his standards turned out to be a standard showing for him this series.

So far this postseason PG is averaging 19 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists per game, shooting an atrocious 36% from the field, and 27% from the three-point line. While I can’t blame him for trying to find his shooting stroke, his efficiency in doing so has plummeted.

For comparison, let’s look at Caris LeVert of the Brooklyn Nets. Both playing the shooting guard position, LeVert was able to average over 20 points per game while shooting over 40% from three. These are pretty standard numbers for LeVert yet they are leaps and bounds ahead of what PG has been able to accomplish so far these playoffs.

What’s interesting is that many players have mentioned how easy it is to shoot in these gyms, as having no fans actually improves the depth perception. Shooters are able to get clear, unobstructed shots at the hoop without any background interference. Terrence Ross of the Orlando Magic claimed:

"“The depth perception in these gyms are perfect. Don’t let a shooter get hot.”"

This obviously has not had the same effect on PG’s game and only time will tell if he can get out of this slump.

In saying this, PG has the luxury of being on a title contending team as the second-best player. So far Kawhi and the rest of the Clippers have been able to carry the team despite PG’s struggles, but heading into the second round, these struggles will need to be ironed out.

He can do this by upping his aggression; I don’t want to see a subdued PG hanging out on the wings, settling for poor shots, and being too tentative to drive into the paint. In the second round, he will not be let off with going to the line two times per game. In fact, I would love to see him begin the next game by driving in and drawing fouls from the outset. This would allow him to see the ball go through the hoop in the early stages of the game, rather than shooting himself out of it.

The silver lining is that The Clippers have still managed to beat the Mavs in round one without the scoring support of their second All Star. His effort in all other areas has been great, defending as well as playmaking off the dribble. This is vital as being a two way player means he can impact the game even when his shots aren’t falling, for example, while he did shoot atrociously this game, he still had the second-highest plus-minus of 22.

Give us less Pandemic P and more Playoff P thank you.