Paul George Sounds off Ahead of His Clippers Debut

The wait is almost over. Los Angeles Clippers star Paul George plans to make his season debut on the road against the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday, league sources told Yahoo Sports.

The six-time NBA All-Star is eager to take the court after being sidelined for the Clippers’ first 10 games while recovering from two shoulder surgeries from the previous season. George had right shoulder surgery in May to fix a partially torn tendon and a month later underwent another surgery to fix a partial tear of his left labrum.

As Tomer Azarly of ClutchPoints reveals, On Tuesday George made a post on his Instagram story responding back to teammate Terrance Mann that read “It’s been real lol the game needs me though.” George has not appeared in a game since losing in the first round of the playoffs last April as a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder.

How Does George Complete the Clippers?

The Los Angeles Clippers are on the shortlist of title contenders and without George so far they are 7-3, tied for second in the Western Conference. The pairing of Kawhi Leonard and George has been long-awaited since both were acquired by the Clippers. George is a four-time All-Defensive selection, an NBA steals champion and a Defensive Player of the Year finalist. The star will fit in seamlessly next to Kawhi Leonard and Patrick Beverly to create one of the most intimidating set of defenders in the NBA.

Last seasonGeorge’s three point shooting, positional versatility, and scoring outbursts will help to transform the team. Last season he averaged career highs of 28 points, 8.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists and a league-leading 2.2 steals. Those stats helped him achieve MVP-level status throughout last year, finishing third. Also, George made 63.2 percent of his attempts at the rim and 38.2 percent from three-point range and was consistent in the midrange as well.

It will take some time for George to get back to the number of minutes he’s used to seeing, and it’s all but certain that the Clippers will use a load management strategy for him as well. In some games where Leonard is resting, George will be able to fill the void and vice versa. When both Leonard and George are playing it will also give head coach Doc Rivers a variety of lineup choices.

As Tomer Azarly of ClutchPoints reports Leonard stated “I think we still have a lot to build on. I think everybody is still trying to figure each other out. We’re still missing PG, so he’s gonna come in the mix, he’s gonna be a big piece. He’s gonna draw a lot of attention, then we’re gonna have to figure it out again and we’ll just keep moving from there. I think we’ve got a lot to build on.”

Meanwhile, an MRI performed on Clippers guard Landry Shamet’s left ankle showed he suffered a grade 2 high ankle sprain, league sources told ESPN. George returning to the lineup this week will be more than beneficial to the team as a timeline for Shamet’s return is to be determined.

The Clippers have back-to-back road games against the Houston Rockets on Wednesday and the Pelicans on Thursday. George is listed as questionable for Wednesday’s game and expected to be playing on Thursday against the Pelicans.

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