Paul George is better without Kawhi Leonard on the court
As crazy as it sounds, Paul George actually played better in Game 5 than he did any game this season when both he and Kawhi Leonard shared the court. George has always been “the guy” on every team he has been on except with the Clippers.
Without Kawhi Leonard, George gets to be “that guy” for them again and he excelled in that role during Game 5. Obviously as a team, the Clippers are better with both of their superstars, but given that both players are ball-dominant, Paul George can do a lot more offensively without Leonard on the court.
READ MORE: NBA Playoffs: Paul George masterfully took over No. 1 role to lead Clippers in Game 5 win
In Game 5, Paul George had 37 points on 12-22 shooting and also had 16 rebounds, which was not a coincidence! Not only did he know that he had to step up for the Clippers in this game, but seeing as there were no other superstars to defer to, Paul George was able to control the game for the Clippers on both ends of the court.
A lot of people are talking about this being one of the defining moments in Paul George’s career and that this was one of his best performances ever, but even back when he was with the Pacers, George was having performances like these and getting others involved offensively because that is what he does.
With Kawhi Leonard on the court, Paul George almost defaults to being the number two option on Los Angeles, which is not the role he is accustomed to being in. This is why all the time we see the inconsistent play from him and Leonard looking dominant sometimes. You need the ball in your hands to be able to score and with Leonard on the court, Paul George does not get as many opportunities to control the offense.
In order for the Los Angeles Clippers to win a championship, both Paul George and Kawhi Leonard need to be healthy, but quite honestly, they look surprisingly fine without Leonard on the court in this series. PG13 has been fantastic against the Jazz and in the same role for Game 6, he will once again thrive as the leader of the Clippers’ offense.
