When they were born, Michael Jordan was retiring and LeBron James was beginning his NBA career. “They” are the players drafted in 2023 or 2024. They are 19, 20 or 21 years old, and when asked about their role model or their best player, many do not cite Michael Jordan, LeBron James or Kobe Bryant. An example with Brandon Miller. Ten months ago, in full preparation for the Draft, he revealed that his model was Paul George.
“I kind of studied Paul George. I modeled my game on his, but added my own touch. I still use his moves, but I add my own twist and perfect them.” explained the rookie from Charlotte. “I prefer the Indiana version of Paul George… The current Paul George is good, but I think the best version was the Pacers version.”
Ten months later, the Hornets winger persisted and signed. “I never really studied LeBron James, and that’s not a criticism. We know that for many, LeBron is the GOAT (“best player of all time”). But it was never my goal to study LeBron or Kobe. Paul George is the best player in my eyes, and I hardly watch anyone else. Paul George is my GOAT.”
Paul George? “A 2m05 Kyrie Irving”
Asked by ESPN about this rather surprising choice, Brandon Miller assures that “Paul George is “the right player to study for this generation”. Aged 22, Brandon Boston Jr. gets the chance to play with his role model at the Clippers, and he compares the All-Star winger to a “ 2m05 Kyrie Irving“.
The young winger says that in high school, he watched Paul George highlights over and over again. He recorded the slightest “move” and tried to repeat them in a match. “It was at this time that I learned to create space with my defender without pushing him or making an offensive mistake” he confirms. “If you look at my dribbling forward or the way I feign while hesitating, you’ll see that I stole that from PG.”
Same inspiration at GG Jacksonthe youngest player in the NBA, revelation for the Grizzlies this season. “He did crazy dunks in matches” he remembers. “He was switching windmills to 360s and other things like that. And then, there was this viral sequence (against the Pistons) where he recovers the ball in the middle of the field. He tells the others to wait, and he makes a 3-pointer from there. Paul George is one of the most complete players. I don't have his style yet, just his size. In high school, I took dangerous shots, in his own way. Like a 3-pointer off the dribble or a complicated fadeaway. But it didn’t go my way…”
By handing the microphone to NBA players, ESPN discovered thatAaron Gordon had also taken Paul George as a model, and had stolen his “stepback”. For Karl-Anthony Towns, George “knows how to do everything on the pitch”.
Carmelo Anthony's son's favorite player
And what does the person concerned think? “At the beginning of this season, I started hearing, 'Hey, you're my favorite player. I admire you' “, says the All-Star winger. “It happened at the time when the younger generation started to gravitate towards me. » But what also touches Paul George is that in talking with some, he discovered that they also appreciated him for his ability to speak openly about his problems with depression, to overcome serious injuries and to cope with reviews.
It's a new generation nourished by social networks, but also NBA 2K, and it's ultimately Carmelo Anthony which reveals one of the secrets of Paul George's popularity. Especially because his son, Kiyan, also considers him his favorite player.
“When we talk about the Paul George mold, we talk about someone who can dribble, shoot… A sniper, a killer…” Melo said last December about his former Thunder teammate. “Why do you think a lot of young people today are talking about PG? “It's not a disrespect to anyone, it's just that it's the type of model when creating a player in NBA 2K.”
Indeed, Paul George confirms that online, he came across “lookalikes” created from his player. “I met people who created players who look like me. They have all my features, my movements. They’re actually pretty good at it.”
According to 2K Sports, Paul George ranks 4th among the most chosen players in MyCareer mode. Behind him ? LaMelo Ball, Kyrie Irving and Jayson Tatum.
