Paul George Opens Up About Sacrifices After James Harden Trade
The LA Clippers have not won a single game since putting James Harden in the lineup, with three straight embarrassingly disappointing losses on the road. The team knew they had to sacrifices with the addition of an extra superstar, but it still hasn't seemed to matter. Even before the road trip, Paul George said he knew what was coming.
On the newest episode of Podcast P, Paul George opened up about the sacrifices that he, Kawhi Leonard, and Russell Westbrook would have to make with Harden in the lineup.
“We talked, we came together but I mean it’s nothing secretive or nothing that hasn’t been told," George said. "The fact of the matter is, all four of us are, you know, superstars, been superstars, great players. But there’s gotta be sacrifices, right. So that was the main conversation, addressing the elephant in the room – look there’s one basketball, y’all are going to have to figure out how to play on the floor and space and give each other opportunities. But he was like hey listen if you commit to that, I’ll lead you where you need to go. I just need you to commit to it being sacrifices and it being one mission and one goal.”
So far, the Clippers have looked like arguably the worst team in the NBA since making the James Harden trade. They can't defend, they can't run offense, and they're bottom in the league in almost every category except steals. While it's nice to hear George and company preach about sacrifices and making it work, those words need to be translated on the court. It's only been three games, but there have been very few moments on the court where it looks like this big four can actually work without making serious adjustments.
It's hard to make a player change their entire play-style after year 14 of their career. To go from being a superstar to being a dirty work guy isn't just something that happens. It remains to be seen if these four ball-handlers can actually make their situation work on the Clippers.
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