Is Paul George a Loser? How Much Does It Matter?

With the PG pursuit officially back on, MOC dives into whether reports of his loser energy are overblown (or all that meaningful).

The Paul George rollercoaster just keeps going. After it seemed that things had cooled off between him and the Sixers as reported by Shams 10 days ago, I’d hardly given any further thought to the possibility of the Sixers signing him. Almost every national and local reporter had talked about the situation as if the Sixers were practically an afterthought.

 But here we are with free agency mere hours away, and the Sixers appear to have a very real shot at George. He has opted out of his player option for next season, making him an unrestricted free agent, and the only two realistic options appear to be him signing with the Sixers or re-signing for far less money with the Clippers. By all accounts, the Sixers are now a very legitimate threat. 

And with that possibility looming, I’d like to return to a key question that had been discussed quite a bit by Sixers fans back when the chatter first appeared about him potentially coming here: Is Paul George really a loser? And if so, how much does that matter?

Very little doubt exists about George’s skill set or fit, but concerns about his mental makeup and age abound for those wary of paying him $50-plus million per year through his age 37 season  – and justifiably so. The majority of Clippers fans have spent the past few months absolutely crushing this guy, and we should all find that extremely concerning. 

In any sport, but perhaps especially basketball, no one truly knows a player better than the fans that watch them play every single night. Rarely is an entire fanbase wrong about a guy that they’ve watched 50-100 times per year over the course of a handful of years. 

And boy, do Clippers fans loathe Paul George. I first tweeted about this back in May after listening to an episode of The Lob The Jam podcast after the Clippers lost in six to the Mavs in this year’s first round. That podcast was an even-keeled, sober-minded evisceration of George – the hosts of the pod (who you should follow on Twitter) called him an outright loser, said that his defensive motor is very much lacking, and earnestly compared him to Michael Porter, Jr. 

Two weeks ago, another round of George bashing by Clippers fans ensued after an episode of PG’s podcast dropped in which he discussed some of the things that went wrong for the Clippers. Among them, he lamented how he and Kawhi had to be “dirty [work] guys,” and said that the loss of Nico Batum and Robert Covington really hurt them.

There were a bunch of concerning quotes from that podcast, especially when considering some of the things he has said previously. He has complained about being used too much off-ball multiple times, while also bemoaning being asked to play point guard, and publicly advocating for the team to sign washed ex-stars John Wall and Russell Westbrook. Not to mention, you can’t really complain about having to do the dirty work when you’re the third option on your team and you have the sixth highest salary in the NBA. The Celtics just won the championship in large part because their two star wings did a lot of the things you’re complaining about despite one of them shooting the ball horribly throughout the entire playoffs.

Indeed, it doesn’t take a particularly strong microscope to see that PG is kind of a loser. He’s simply not known for his leadership, accountability, or ability to shine on the big stage. To reference the analogy that a Ricky voicemail caller made a while back, he’s a sailboat – he’s not going to fight against the current when things go bad; he goes whichever way the wind makes him go. 

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After seeing all of the criticism that Clippers fans have for him over the past month and change, I decided to go back and watch every minute that he played in that Mavs series. And ultimately, I came away thinking that a lot of what Clippers fans said was true – he floats around on defense a lot. He’s not a hustle-play guy whatsoever; he doesn’t get a ton of loose balls or contested rebounds. He makes some mind-boggling passing decisions and is a wildly inaccurate passer. He settles for jump shots a lot when he could get to the rim or draw fouls.

BUT… he’s still so freaking good. He is still one of the very best jump shooters in the NBA over 6-foot-6. While he’s not an elite defender anymore, he still can reliably guard 1-4 without getting picked on. He’s unbelievably smooth off the dribble and he’s incredibly hard for defenders to wall off when closing out to him on the perimeter. While his passing vision is generally very limited, he does have quite a nice knack for dump-off passes for big men around the rim – something that should help his ability to complement Joel Embiid. He remains absolutely incredible to watch – just unbelievably skilled.  

Perhaps most notably: the one thought I kept having while watching him was: “Holy shit, this guy is so much better than Tobias Harris.”

And you might be thinking, well, duh. But I actually believe that thought reveals a crucial dynamic that would prevent Sixers fans from ever truly hating Paul George, even at his loseriest.

If he were coming here to be the No. 2 option, or to be one of the faces of the franchise, I could easily see the relationship becoming toxic. But I just can’t imagine Sixers fans being all that angry with George after Tobias Harris just spent five years setting the bar for the No. 3 option on this team lower than anyone thought possible. Truly, I think it would be at least half a season before the awe and wonder at just how much better he is than Tobias fades away and we are able to make a clear-eyed assessment of PG.

But even once we’re out of the honeymoon phase, I see the fit as being extremely ideal for George. The Sixers don’t need him to alter their identity whatsoever. They need him to hit catch and shoot 3s, attack close-outs, run around off the ball, and not get picked on defensively. He will somehow be asked to do even less here than he was when he was in L.A; the Sixers’ bread is always going to be buttered by actions revolving around the pair of Maxey and Embiid. There is zero expectation that George will be the engine of the half-court offense when it matters; he will always have the luxury of being able to fade into the background at will.

The one thing I worry about is George just not liking it here, and getting stuck into a bit of an Al Horford situation where his unhappiness turns into terrible effort. George spoke openly about how his mental health spiraled while in the 2020 bubble, which then turned into some terrible numbers and a spectacular second round flame-out. I could envision a scenario where being far away from home spirals into some bad play, terrible quotes, and mutual distaste between him and the fans.

But then again, George played the first nine years of his career in small cities far away from his hometown – Indy and OKC – and put up superstar-level production the entire time. If he signs up to come here and can keep himself focused on basketball, it really is a dream fit. He will probably say the wrong thing on his podcast many times and get blasted on Twitter, but as far as his on-court inconsistencies and flaws that Clipper fans grew to hate, I can’t really see them being anything that would limit the Sixers’ ceiling and/or drive Sixers fans all that crazy. He is still so good. 

I expect him to be mostly a side character, averaging 19 points per game and playing solid defense as Maxey and Embiid shape the team’s identity. He’ll get some criticism for being a (very) overpaid 3&D guy, but that’s a price I’m willing to pay, especially given that they can simply sign him into cap space. I’m not trying to position myself as a Paul George stan here, but I feel as though I would happily sign up for the PG experience while still having a sober view of what the downsides are. He’s a terrible franchise cornerstone, but an excellent option as a third banana – certainly the best and least costly that we have available at the moment.

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Mike O’Connor is the best O’Connor in basketball writing. Previously of The Athletic, you can find Mike on Twitter @MOConnor_NBA. Mike’s writing is brought to you by Body Bio, supplements based on science, focusing on your gut and brain health. Get 20% off E-Lyte, Gut+, and all Body Bio products with promo code MIKESTUMMY at Body Bio’s website.