Paul George made some remarks after the Los Angeles Clippers’ brutal meltdown against the Denver Nuggets that were not well-received by fans or the media, and it sounds like the same was true in his own locker room.
George addressed the Clippers in the locker room following their Game 7 loss to the Nuggets last week. He spoke about remaining committed in the coming months and refocusing for a championship run next season. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the comments were “met by some eye rolls and bewilderment.” One of the reasons for that is that George played poorly in the series against Denver. He completely disappeared in Game 7, scoring just 10 points on 4-of-16 shooting and 2-of-11 from three-point range.
Charania also noted that George had multiple verbal spats with teammates during the postseason, as Clippers players reportedly felt he was not holding himself accountable.
The Clippers gave up several draft picks to acquire George in a trade last offseason. They should have been thinking about immediately contending for a championship after trading for George and signing Kawhi Leonard. However, George said after the Clippers blew a 3-1 series lead against Denver that he and his teammates did not have a championship-or-bust mentality this year.
George also indicated that the Clippers had some chemistry issues, and it certainly sounds like he was at the center of some of those.
George got off to a slow start in Orlando before opening up about the mental struggles he experienced in the bubble. He then began to play better, but he had a couple of terrible games against Denver. One of them was in Game 7, and his recent elimination game stats show that has become a theme.
