What's the reasoning for Paul George's playoff decline from Indiana?

[No-more-rings]

George'a playoff numbers from 2014-2017 in Indiana:

30 gms 24.4/7.8/4.4 22.2 PER 58.7 ts% 6.8 BPM

OKC/LAC numbers:

24 gms: 23.1/6.6/3.5 15.6 PER 55 ts% 1.0 BPM

The advanced statistical decline is massive.

One might mention competition as a reason, but they weren't all bad teams he played. He killed the Raptors and Lebron Cavs as an example. Also did well against the Heat in 2014.

[Jordan Syndrome]

The main reason Paul George has declined is because he plays best in an offensive system. His skill-set, talent level and feel for the game just isn't good enough to be the catalyst for a team. His shooting and play making allows him to play great within a teams offense but when George has been asked to do more for the team he has struggled.

We almost saw George "break through" last season as an offensive catalyst but an injury and some sort of mental blockage prevented George from taking the next step. George is great when feeding off an offensive hub like he was with Westbrook and would be better than he is now next to just about every great offensive threat in the West. George next to Lillard, Curry, Paul, LeBron, Jokic, Mitchell and Harden all produce a better Paul George than what Kawhi Leonard was able to do with George...though maybe that says more about Kawhi than it does George.

[Bergmaniac]

IN OKC he had some injuries both seasons IIRC.

[Jiminy Glick]

People also need to remember this dude broke his leg. He lost a lot of athleticism. George used to attack the basket more. 2013 George is maybe peak George just based off of athleticism. He used to be an athletic freak.

[RCM88x]

Injuries, specifically his leg injury in 2014. Don't really think he's ever been the same player after that, outside last regular season.

He was never a great offensive guy, he was a good shooter and athletic enough to score efficiently, but that's about it. His defense has completely fallen off a cliff since 2014 outside of that stretch last year.

Like Butler, I think he'd be great in a situation like Miami, a system and culture heavy team that doesn't depend on one guy to lead the show.

[Freighttrain]

People also need to remember this dude broke his leg. He lost a lot of athleticism. George used to attack the basket more. 2013 George is maybe peak George just based off of athleticism. He used to be an athletic freak.

He was third in MVP voting last year tho.

[No-more-rings]

Wait so how was the leg break the reason, when some of his best series and regular seasons came after it?

[Doctor MJ]

I think it needs to point out that George has always been slump-prone. He'll go through large swaths of a season where he's literally a great volume shooter and then it will disappear on him. At this point it seems clear it's mood and confidence-based, which is why it's so frustrating that he keeps putting himself out there in a way where he'll be mockable the next time he slumps. Dude manufactures his own downward spiral again and again.

[Jiminy Glick]

Wait so how was the leg break the reason, when some of his best series and regular seasons came after it?

Well he is getting older now and has already left his athletic prime age, just saying. I don't see too much energy and intensity from him either. George before the leg break and after it are different styles. Anyways if I was his coach I would put him in the post more.

[Jiminy Glick]

I also want to make a correction, I meant to say 2014 is maybe peak George, he got hurt that summer in FIBA.

[RCM88x]

Wait so how was the leg break the reason, when some of his best series and regular seasons came after it?

IMO his best season outside of 2019 is still 2014. He had one good playoff series in 2016 against Toronto, since then he's really been pretty bad or at least extremely hot-cold. Probably would have 2016 as his 3rd best season.

My guess is he got in great shape coming back from injury in 2015 and for the 2016 season and played pretty well as a result, still in the Vogel Indiana system. Then with the coaching change for 2017 he didn't really adjust well and struggled since with constant change in his surroundings, and increased pressure on him and his teams.

Those Indiana teams were always underdogs and I think that helped him a lot, overall their systems breed more confidence than anything hes been in since.

2019 is such an outlier though, honestly don't know what was special about that season, I'd give Donovan some credit as well as Presti and Westbrook etc.. They were playing great before his shoulder injury and the ASB, since then he really hasn't been quite the same guy on either end.

[Jiminy Glick]

Also if I was his coach I would ask him to bulk up and play power forward. In terms of the team it was not built well. They need a low post defender.

[70sFan]

Because PG relies on his jumpshot a lot more than he did when he was younger and he's a streaky shooter. You have to be really good shooter to rely on that in playoffs, or you have to work extremely hard without the ball for easy looks. George isn't ATG shooter and he doesn't work hard off-ball, so he suffers with less shots at the rim.

[Heej]

He was the franchise player back then. You naturally have a boost to your abilities because of the confidence and security that comes with that. He's not THE guy anymore so that organizational emotional bellwether isn't available to him in the same way when he's down on himself. PG is the type of guy that needs to play with or under someone that inspires confidence in him like a Dame or Jokic or D'Antoni or Nurse

[KobesScarf]

He's trying to be Curry

[dcstanley]

I don't think he's been in an offensive system that caters to the style he's adopted since his injury. The Clippers' ad hoc iso heavy offense isn't conducive to a volume shooter like PG. He needs a system that prioritizes getting him easy looks and catch and shoot opportunities.

[Dr Positivity]

Indiana was a very physical team which possibly helped him avoid being mentally or physically soft. I watched a few minutes of Raptors Pacers game and he just seems like one of the biggest players on the court in a way that he doesn't now.

[Dupp]

He broke his leg. Then he was finally getting to peak for and **** his shoulder.



On top of that a lot of it is clearly mental. Some of the shots he was missing in the fourth yesterday were miles off.

[Pelly24]

People also need to remember this dude broke his leg. He lost a lot of athleticism. George used to attack the basket more. 2013 George is maybe peak George just based off of athleticism. He used to be an athletic freak.

I always thought this overstated. I don't remember seeing him ever frequently blow by guys. In general, he's never been an explosive athlete when it comes to speed, north to south quickness or laterally. His free throw rate has generally been somewhat low but his finishing at the rim has actually improved. His bounce is the same as it always was.

[Lost92Bricks]

Western conference.