“ He took control in the fourth quarter. » Difficult to contradict Kawhi Leonard when describing the performance of Paul George against the Thunder. Against his former team, the Clippers winger posted the best offensive performance of his season: 38 points (15/24 on shots including 6/12 from distance), with 7 rebounds and 5 assists.
“ He was himself, aggressive and he hit shots. That's all we expect from him “, lists a Kawhi Leonard much more discreet (16 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists). Caught in twos in the final moments of a very indecisive game, “The Klaw” did not have to force the outcome as his teammate was on fire.
In the final period, the latter scored 18 points (11 of his team's last 14 points), including a crazy sequence to kill the match at the end, with two award-winning baskets and an interception ending with a “reverse dunk” in counterattack. “ Once I see the ball go in, I feel confident and ultra-aggressive. Throughout my career, it took me a few shots to feel comfortable », recognizes the 33-year-old player.
A total player
A hell of a career, started in Indiana, marked by eight All-Star selections, six places on an “All-NBA Team”, and an impressive propensity to score. At the end of this exercise, he should complete his 9th consecutive season with at least 21 points on average. “ Post play, isolation, catch and shoot, pick-and-roll… He’s a totally complete player », can describe Tyronn Lue, who does not forget his impact on the other side of the field.
The fact remains that this quantity of points recently allowed him to join the Top 100 greatest scorers in the history of the league. With his match tonight, Paul George overtook Kevin Willis into 96th place of this ranking (excluding ABA)with 17,271 points.
He recently mentioned this symbolic milestone in his podcast. “ You know what's crazy? I'll look up and say, 'Damn, Kobe (Bryant) scored 30,000 points. As (Karl) Malone, as Kareem (Abdul-Jabbar), these guys scored 30,000 points. I always wanted to know what it was. During my first two years in the league, I told myself that I would never reach these numbers “, he blurted out.
Not a 60-game season since 2019
The player drafted in 10th position in 2010 was in no way, during his first seasons, the attacker of today. It was only from the 2012-13 season, marked by a first All-Star selection, that his status and offensive production began to evolve. A leap forward stopped short by his terrible injury in 2014 which will almost deprive him of the entire 2014-15 season.
Then, after regaining physical stability for a few years, he had a series of problems with the Clippers: not a season with more than 60 games played.
“ But today, I find myself in the Top 100, and it was not a foregone conclusion. Yes, (with) injuries, I played 14 seasons. But in reality, I played ten seasons, nine seasons flat out. So, to get to this point, to overcome injuries and to have the longevity to play for 14 years until today… Yes, I really appreciate being on this list », finished Paul George.
| Paul George | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2010-11 | IND | 61 | 21 | 45.3 | 29.7 | 76.2 | 0.6 | 3.1 | 3.7 | 1.1 | 2.1 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 0.4 | 7.8 |
| 2011-12 | IND | 66 | 30 | 44.0 | 38.5 | 80.2 | 0.9 | 4.8 | 5.6 | 2.4 | 2.9 | 1.6 | 1.8 | 0.6 | 12.1 |
| 2012-13 | IND | 79 | 38 | 41.9 | 36.2 | 80.7 | 1.1 | 6.5 | 7.6 | 4.1 | 2.9 | 1.8 | 3.0 | 0.7 | 17.4 |
| 2013-14 | IND | 80 | 36 | 42.4 | 36.4 | 86.4 | 0.8 | 6.0 | 6.8 | 3.5 | 2.5 | 1.9 | 2.8 | 0.3 | 21.7 |
| 2014-15 | IND | 6 | 15 | 36.7 | 40.9 | 72.7 | 0.7 | 3.0 | 3.7 | 1.0 | 1.8 | 0.8 | 2.0 | 0.2 | 8.8 |
| 2015-16 | IND | 81 | 35 | 41.8 | 37.2 | 86.0 | 1.0 | 6.0 | 7.0 | 4.1 | 2.8 | 1.9 | 3.3 | 0.4 | 23.1 |
| 2016-17 | IND | 75 | 36 | 46.2 | 39.4 | 89.8 | 0.8 | 5.8 | 6.6 | 3.4 | 2.8 | 1.6 | 2.9 | 0.4 | 23.7 |
| 2017-18 | OKAY | 79 | 37 | 43.0 | 40.1 | 82.2 | 0.9 | 4.8 | 5.7 | 3.3 | 3.0 | 2.0 | 2.7 | 0.5 | 22.0 |
| 2018-19 | OKAY | 77 | 37 | 43.8 | 38.6 | 83.9 | 1.4 | 6.8 | 8.2 | 4.1 | 2.8 | 2.2 | 2.7 | 0.4 | 28.0 |
| 2019-20 | LAKE | 48 | 30 | 43.9 | 41.2 | 87.6 | 0.5 | 5.2 | 5.7 | 3.9 | 2.4 | 1.4 | 2.6 | 0.4 | 21.5 |
| 2020-21 | LAKE | 54 | 34 | 46.7 | 41.1 | 86.8 | 0.8 | 5.8 | 6.7 | 5.2 | 2.4 | 1.2 | 3.3 | 0.4 | 23.3 |
| 2021-22 | LAKE | 31 | 35 | 42.1 | 35.4 | 85.8 | 0.4 | 6.5 | 6.9 | 5.7 | 2.4 | 2.2 | 4.1 | 0.4 | 24.3 |
| 2022-23 | LAKE | 56 | 35 | 45.7 | 37.1 | 87.1 | 0.8 | 5.3 | 6.1 | 5.1 | 2.8 | 1.5 | 3.1 | 0.4 | 23.8 |
| 2023-24 | LAKE | 37 | 35 | 46.3 | 41.8 | 92.3 | 0.6 | 4.9 | 5.5 | 3.7 | 3.0 | 1.6 | 2.2 | 0.4 | 23.6 |
| Total | 830 | 34 | 43.9 | 38.4 | 85.2 | 0.9 | 5.5 | 6.4 | 3.7 | 2.7 | 1.7 | 2.7 | 0.4 | 20.8 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
