Freed by the podcast, which allows him to say things as he feels them, and which he sees as therapy, Paul George now thinks a lot more about his mental health. The proof with the new importance he gives to vacations.
During this offseason, the Clippers winger spent time with his family and traveled to Europe: Serbia, Montenegro and Greece.
“I finished the season with a leg injury and since I had no reason to be in great shape at the time, I took two weeks to completely cut out basketball, training and of the room “, he explains to SLAM. “It helps me approach the return to training and it helps me mentally, for my concentration. »
And if the former Pacers and Thunder puts so much emphasis on this total cut, it’s because it wasn’t his habit at the start of his career.
“It has become a norm for me at this stage of my career. I think I’ve been like this for two years. Before, when the season was over, I went straight back to the gym the next day. But now that I’m getting older, I like to cut things in two: seasonal mode, off-season mode. The younger me didn’t have a family or kids, so the old me loves those family times. »
“My younger self was hungry, passionate. He had a warrior mentality, was not afraid. I still have these qualities, but it’s clearly more powerful when you’re young”
The young Paul George also did not have the same state of mind as the one who, at 33, will be playing his 14th season in the NBA.
“The younger me was hungry, passionate. He had a warrior mentality, was not afraid. I still have these qualities, but it’s clearly more powerful when you’re young, when you arrive in the league. With age, I am more focused, I know what I want, I know how to approach things. There is a separation between these two, the young me and the old me. And above all I try to stay healthy, that’s the most important thing. »
This is why during the off-season, in addition to the holidays, which contribute to his preparation, “PG13” tries to find the energy he had in him when he played in Indiana.
“I focus on my mentality”, he answers when asked what he works on the most in the summer. “I work a lot to improve, but it’s mainly a question of mentality, of finding the one I had at 22 or 23 years old, which pushed me to dominate and to constantly be the best player on the floor. This is how I approach summer. And I know that if I have that mentality, then I give it my all and I can do with the results that come next. »
| 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 |
| Total | 793 | 34 | 43.7 | 38.1 | 85.0 | 0.9 | 5.5 | 6.4 | 3.7 | 2.7 | 1.7 | 2.7 | 0.4 | 20.6 | |
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.
