 When I say the name Paul George, be honest, what's the first word that comes to mind? Way off is the side of the backboard We're all guilty of it Recency bias prisoner of the moment echo chambers things that are all prevalent on social media in the year 2021 if you so much as try and compliment the man This is usually what ensues in the comment section But if we're gonna get our jokes off on Paul George at his low points We have to be willing to give respect when the tables turn PG-13 is having a career season After single-handedly leading the Clippers to a comeback victory in Portland He was not only averaging 23.8 points per game on 48 43 89 shooting splits But career highs in assists per game and a true shooting percentage Which is a number two percent higher than his previous best season now I could throw numbers at you all day and let's be honest They don't matter to 99 out of a hundred people walking down the street Why is that? Well first and foremost after what went down against Damian Lillard in that playoff series and Then in the bubble blowing the 3-1 lead to the Nuggets Fans of the NBA just aren't going to care what this man does in the regular season Paul George isn't the first nor is he going to be the last The NFL had Peyton Manning before he finally hoisted the Lombardi Trophy the NHL had the Washington Capitals MLB the Oakland A's Still hell nobody trusted the Dallas Mavericks as far as they could throw them in the 2000s after what Baron Davis's warriors did to them, but somebody's got to ask the question Do we unfairly expect too much from this man? The Paul George I remember took the Indiana Pacers to the brink of the NBA Finals twice against LeBron's Miami Heat The Paul George I remember suffered one of the most devastating leg injuries ever caught on film That would keep every single one of us from walking properly again, let alone competing at a championship level Now he certainly doesn't help himself sometimes We saw those Instagram comments with Dame He made his bed and he's got to sleep in it But you are crazy if you don't think this man is talented enough to fulfill his revenge toward destiny To illustrate how Paul George's game has evolved and can finally translate to the postseason I'm gonna kick it to coach Nick from b-ball breakdown for the X's and O's Thanks, Rob, and you're right. Paul George is a bad man oozing with talent and if we're looking at how he's evolved this year I've got two words for you Isolation We all remember him complaining about his role in Doc's offense last year and Tai Lu was clearly listening He's reduced the number of times he's off ball coming off screens and replace them with Isolations 37% of his isos end up as three-pointers and he's off the charts Making them at a 53.3% clip and he doesn't care if he forces a switch to a smaller guard and just shoots right over the Top or putting a big man through the torture chamber of a vicious crossover dribble into a dagger of a deep shot He loves to go through his legs as the last dribble before pulling up And I wonder if this will be something defenders will key in on in the playoffs to make it harder for him to make these But judging by how often he's nailing them with almost no space to get them off I'm not sure it would even matter. It's clear This was the flow PG was talking about and it's like a river flowing through the mountains We know the mountain that he has declined because he's been there before and it's steep But if winning titles was easy, everyone would do it. You don't have to believe in Paul George You don't even have to like him. I just ask if he does get to the promised land that what he accomplished This season and overcame in previous ones to get there Doesn't get overlooked