The Whiteboard: Paul George is ready for whatever comes next

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I’m old enough to remember when Paul George was entirely undefined. When he was just a long, raw, ball of potential whose primary job was to take some of the defensive load off Danny Granger. He was like a fawn on roller skates, all wide eyes and limbs akimbo, figuring out where to be and when.

I remember when he took the leap in 2012-13, winning Most Improved Player, making his first All-Star team. Assuming the mantle of offensive primacy from the injured Granger, growing into his elite defensive tools and, with help of George Hill and Roy Hibbert, laying the foundation of one of the most effective defenses in NBA history.

I remember those two Eastern Conference Finals series against LeBron and the Heat, in 2013 and 2014. The universal memory of those series seems to be more about the Pacers defense, collectively, and Lance Stephenson’s ear-blowing, individually, giving the Heat all they could handle. But I remember it as a heavyweight bout between LeBron and George. Thirteen total games, where George spent nearly every possession defending either LeBron of Dwyane Wade and still managed to average 21.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.2 steals per game, shooting 40.4 percent on 3-pointers.

How much has Paul George changed and how much has the NBA changed around him?

It’s weird to think about that George, the one who went toe-to-toe with The King and absolutely looked like someone who could be the best player on a championship team, and compare him to the one playing for the Clippers right now. The one who needed a 35-point explosion just to redeem the idea that he’s good enough to be second-fiddle on a contender lead by Kawhi freaking Leonard.

After the game, George was candid about the mental struggles he’s been working through in the NBA bubble. I can’t imagine what it’s like, trying to be present right now, isolated in an artificial environment and surrounded by the shadows of a global pandemic and a seemingly unending cycle of racial violence. Trying to be everything your team needs, when that team is your third different home in four seasons.

The circumstances have changed, for all of us, but Paul George has the same basketball tools he did seven years ago. He made his context complementary, choosing to play with Russell Westbrook and Kawhi Leonard as a means to an end. But he was third in MVP and Defensive Player of the Year voting last season, playing next to Westbrook. He posted career-highs in true shooting percentage and assist percentage this season. Those losses to LeBron all those years ago seem to have moved winning ahead of individual opportunity on his list of priorities, but he still could be that solo hero. He could be Jimmy Butler in Miami or Donovan Mitchell in Utah.

The Clippers certainly seem to have righted their championship odds last night and I’m not sure what that monkey-on-back-shedding 35 points will do for George. Somewhere out there, another matchup with LeBron James looms. Both he and Kawhi have personal histories with LeBron, a track record of not backing down, of going point-for-point and cranking up the level of difficulty for LeBron at the other end.

As a general rule, I don’t root for specific outcomes anymore but there’s a part of me that really wants to see George get another shot. To see what he can bring to that matchup now, with a different kind of help and a different kind of experience. I remember how that matchup shaped George the first time, focused and honed him. I’ve watched how everything since, highs and lows, has continued that process, sanding down some fine edges, wearing thin in others. Maybe everything is the same, but maybe it’s all different now?

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