The Clippers refused to hold themselves accountable for their embarrassing second-round playoff exit in the Orlando bubble earlier in the year, and now one of their players is placing some blame on a guy who’s no longer employed by the organization.
Head coach Doc Rivers has heard plenty of criticism for his teams’ postseason collapses over the years, but he’s rarely scrutinized for how he utilizes his players. In fact, putting his guys in positions to succeed has been viewed as one of his strengths.
But Paul George sure doesn’t seem to feel that way. In fact, quite the opposite.
George appeared on the popular “All The Smoke’ podcast, and he explained to both Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson why he feels Rivers didn’t utilize him correctly.
“The way I was being used, I felt 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-rolls, post-ups, diff[erent] touches. Last season was hard.”
George simply did not play well in the playoffs, but he refuses to own it. Instead, he blamed the emotional effect stemming from being in the bubble, and now Rivers. It’s never his fault, apparently.