Paul George’s pleas for players to remain committed and return to the franchise next season didn’t go over well with all of his Los Angeles Clippers teammates, according to a report by The Athletic.
George made his comments inside the locker room following the loss to the Denver Nuggets in Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals last Tuesday. This was right after the Clippers’ third straight setback during an alarming collapse after they took a 3-1 series lead.
According to the report, some of George’s teammates were bewildered and began rolling their eyes as he spoke. The overall feeling was that George’s actions in the series didn’t line up with his postgame vows. The remarks also came immediately after George scored just 10 points on 4-of-16 shooting in the decisive contest. It was the second time he tallied just 10 in the series after averaging 21.5 on the season.
The Athletic reported that multiple teammates had verbal incidents with George throughout the postseason, with some charging that George was operating with a lack of accountability. Once the locker room opened after Game 7, veteran guard Lou Williams cited the team’s chemistry as a sore spot.
“We came up short,” Williams said. “We did have championship expectations. We had the talent to do it. I don’t think we had the chemistry to do it and it showed.”
George and Kawhi Leonard were in their first seasons with the franchise, and things appeared to be lining up for the team to make a deep postseason run.
But perhaps all that time together in the NBA bubble near Orlando led weak relationships to fracture further.
Among the players the Clippers could lose this offseason is Sixth Man of the Year Montrezl Harrell, who will become a free agent and is ready for a bigger role. Midseason acquisition Marcus Morris also will become a free agent.
—Field Level Media
