Paul George says Doc Rivers misused him

George wasn't a fan of the way Rivers utilized him last season.

Paul George held no punches when it came to discussing the Clippers' problems during the 2020 season.

George was a guest on the "All The Smoke Podcast", and it appears the episode delivers on its name. George didn't mince any words in the preview trailer, when he talked about his struggles playing in Doc Rivers's system.

Paul George on his struggles in Doc Rivers' system:

"Doc was trying to play me as a Ray Allen or a JJ Redick, all pin-downs. I can do it, but that ain't my game. I need some flow, I need some mixes of some pick-and-roll, and post ups...That last season was hard."

@SHOsports pic.twitter.com/ECcN1NaEvd

— Farbod Esnaashari (@Farbod_E) December 2, 2020

"Doc was trying to play me as a Ray Allen or a JJ Redick, all pin-downs," George said. "I can do it, but that ain't my game. I need some flow, I need some mixes of some pick-and-roll, and post-ups...That last season was hard."

George's statement is a very interesting one. On one end, this statement should have clearly been kept in-house. On the other end, you could argue several Clipper players weren't utilized properly under Doc Rivers last season, including Ivica Zubac, Landry Shamet, JaMychal Green, Montrezl Harrell and Paul George. 

Throughout the season, George finished a career-high 33% of his total plays using the pick-and-roll. At the same time, the usage rate declined in the playoffs, and George was standing at the three-point line many times. It's very easy to throw shade at George over these comments, but in all honesty, there are probably many players on the Clippers who want to publicly say the same thing. 

The biggest issue is that all of these statements should have been kept private, as it does no one any favors by airing it out on a podcast. Unfortunately for George, he's the star, and he's the one who will receive the brunt of the criticism. Most unfortunately for George, he hit the side of the backboard in a Game 7—and that's all most fans will remember.

There's new hope for the Clippers and Paul George, as they're expected to run an entirely different system with Ty Lue. In Lue's first statements during training camp, he said words that every Clippers fan wanted to hear.

"We have a new attitude and a new system."