The Los Angeles Clippers have had a topsy turvy season as they are currently in sixth position in the Western Conference especially led by the likes of Paul George and Kawhi Leonard. Paul George is someone who has been exceptional for the Clippers as he is leading the team in assists with 5.3 assists per game till now.
Overall Paul George is someone very reliable with the ball in hand and he also keeps up the rhythm in play and does not get lost in offense unlike other players in the team. Recently Clippers coach Tye Lue reaffirms that Paul George is the primary ball handler for the Clippers as he told Clippers staff reporter for LA Times, Andrew Greif.
Tye Lue prefers Paul George with the ball rather than Kawhi Leonard mainly due to his ability to move the rock around and also that he does not get lost in one area of the play and can control the tempo of the gameplay. Greif shared Tye Lue’s remarks as he said, “Ty Lue considers Paul George the de facto lead ball handler in lineups w/o a traditional PG in part bc it keeps him in a rhythm even when the offense heavily features Kawhi.”
“He’s bringing the ball up, so he still has a feel for the game where he doesn’t get lost in the offense,” Greif quoted Tye Lue as he came up with his reasoning for his actions.
While he is leading in assists, Paul George is also leading the team in turnovers. He is jointly sixth best in the league in terms of turnovers in the NBA. The Clippers are heavily stacked with several talented players and despite having players like John Wall and Reggie Jackson on rotation who are natural point guards and ball handlers. The snub suggests that Tye Lue does not trust both the guards and hence he has gone with his most trusted player in the franchise.
George is averaging 23.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 1.5 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game while shooting 45.5% from the field, 38.6% from 3-point range this season. He could be headed to yet another All-Star game but given the quality that the Clippers have this season they have surely underachieved till now.
