Paul George appears not only to be back, but better than ever. His 23.7 PER is the highest efficiency of his career, 36% higher than his career average.
George currently ranks 6th among all wing players in PER. George is being used at the 10th highest rate in the NBA.
Highest PER Among Wing Players
This Season
PER
Kevin Durant 29.5
LeBron James 27.6
Kawhi Leonard 25.1
Jeremy Lamb 24.3
Manu Ginobili 24.3
Paul George 23.7
How has George come back stronger than ever?
1 – Drawing fouls
George is shooting three-pointers at the lowest rate of his career and taking free throws at the highest rate of his career. George is drawing 5.9 fouls per game and taking 7.4 free throw attempts per game, ranking in the top 10 in the league in each category. The logical conclusion is that he is settling less and attacking more.
2 – Better passing
George’s assist percentage is 59% higher than his career average. He is creating 11.4 points per game from his assists, 4th among non-point guards. That’s behind only LeBron James, James Harden and Draymond Green. George makes an average of 44.5 passes per game and 11.0% directly result in an assist. That percentage ranks in the top 40 in the NBA.
3 – Offensive rebounding
George is crashing the offensive glass and his offensive rebounding percentage is at a rate twice his career average. George is averaging 2.3 offensive rebounds per game. He is scoring 3.8 second-chance points per game, 9th in the NBA and most of any wing player.
4 – Activity rate on defense
George is among the best defenders in the NBA. He ranks 27th on a per play basis (min. 50 plays defended). George is ending 12.4% of his defensive plays by forcing a turnover, a rate 8.8% higher than the league average.
Peter Newmann is an analyst and writer who spent 10 years at ESPN, 8 as the NBA senior researcher working 24/7 on the league. He wrote game notes for crews, articles for ESPN.com, analysis for studio shows, and regularly assisted reporters and writers. Follow him on Twitter, and check out his Web site, www.peternewmann.com.
Calvin James says
I’m glad someone has noticed how well he’s been playing. He’s been VERY good so far in the season and it’s hardly being mentioned.
In the article though, I feel like comparing his stats to his career averages is a bit premature because they haven’t evened out yet. What I mean is that his rookie year was nothing special, and his sophomore year, he wasn’t the primary ballhandler. The Paul George we know today started in the 2012-2013 season. Not a big deal but I just feel like using his career averages as a gauge should wait another season so it can even out what he did in his rookie year and give a better outlook on what he’s been as PAUL GEORGE.