Breaking Down Paul George’s January Struggles

Paul George is an emerging superstar on an Indiana Pacers team that is a legitimate title contender. The 23-year-old is averaging a team-best 22.9 points per game and has led his squad to a 36-10 record, good for first place in the Eastern Conference. Despite both individual and team success, however, George faced struggles in the month of January that have now carried over into February.

George caught fire as the season began, dropping 28 points on 48.6 percent shooting in the two games of October. From the start of November until the end of December, the 6-9 swingman led the Pacers to 23 wins and just five losses. Then the New Year arrived and it has not been kind.

Since 2014 opened its doors, the player that was once–not too long ago–in the conversation with LeBron James and Kevin Durant as MVP candidates, has been struggling. He hasn’t appeared to be the Paul George who captivated millions around the country with his performance in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Miami Heat last June, pushing the defending champions to the brink of elimination. Rather, he looks like a player in flux.

In the month of January, George’s numbers plummeted. Not only did the Pacers lose the same amount of games (five) that they lost throughout the whole season up to that point, but the former No. 10 overall pick shot 41 percent from the field and 31.5 percent from three-point range, scoring 21 points per game. These aren’t necessarily “bad” numbers, but they were certainly down from the previous few months.

From November 1 to December 31, George scored more points per game (23.5), shot better from both the field (47 percent) and from beyond the arc (39.8 percent) than in January. His turnover rate had gone up from 2.5 per game to 3.1, while his court +/- went from 10.7 to 2.9.

In George’s last three January games, he was unable to eclipse 20 points or even shoot 40 percent from the floor. The result? Two losses.

Against the Denver Nuggets on January 25, George shot 6-of-18 from the field, missing all four three-point attempts. He finished with 18 points and four turnovers as the Pacers fell to the under .500 Nuggets, 109-96.

In a 104-92 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers three days later, George’s struggles continued. He scored 14 points on 4-of-21 shooting (19 percent), knocking down one trey in six attempts.

Finally, as his worst offensive season since November of last season–statistically speaking–came to an end, George hit just 5-of-17 shots in a loss to the Phoenix Suns at home, scoring 12 points and turning the ball over four times.

All of these charts highlight what George’s most alarming issue has become: shooting midrange and three-pointers.

Keep reading to see why the young star is suddenly struggling…

In December, George shot an impressive 48.3 percent from attempts between 20-24 feet, knocking down 22-of-45. Yet, just one month later in January, George attempted 66 shots from the same range–much more than the 45 he attempted in December–sinking just 21 of them for a percentage of 31.8.

Not only is he struggling with his shot from outside, but George can’t find the bucket as easily from inside the paint, either. Despite shooting 58.2 percent between 5-9 feet away from the rim in January, the numbers were drastically different one month prior. In December, between the range of 5-9 feet from the basket, George shot a staggering 78.7 percent, putting in 37 out of the 47 baskets attempted.

While he is just 23 years old and has already spent three full seasons adjusting to the league, the toll of last season’s minutes throughout the regular season, combined with the Pacers’ run in the playoffs, may be affecting him.

Last season, he averaged a career-high 37.6 minutes per contest, totaling 2,972 – the eighth highest in the league. After Indiana’s Game 7 exit in the Eastern Conference Finals, George had played an additional 780 minutes through 19 extra games, third most in the NBA behind LeBron James and Dwyane Wade.

Paul George is no secret anymore. Opponents throw their most physical and best defenders at him on a nightly basis, focusing their gameplans around stopping him. In the December 18 matchup against the Heat, George led his team with 25 points, shooting 8-of-16 from the field. Yet George’s success came when LeBron James was not guarding him. He scored 19 points on 5-of-7 shooting with any defender but James on him, while the league’s four-time MVP held George to six points on 3-of-7 shooting when defending him.

The Pacers have played just one game in the new month thus far, but it was more of the same in Indiana’s one-point victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday. George reached 20 points but was unable to find a rhythm, shooting 7-of-19 from the field. The last time he shot above 40 percent was on January 24 against the Sacramento Kings.

Paul George is a good player. No, Paul George is a great player. He has grown, and will continue to grow as a premier talent in this league. Sure, he has faults and he has struggled recently. But if he wants to keep his name in the MVP discussion, PG must rediscover his early season shooting touch.

What do you think?

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