Paul George’s Hot Streak Has Him in NBA.com’s MVP Rankings
By Josh Padmore
It would take a miracle to beat out guys like Russell Westbrook or James Harden for the MVP Award, but Paul George has made his case.
Paul George has played like an MVP candidate in the Indiana Pacers last eight games. Because of that, NBA.com has him ranked 9th in the MVP race.
Over the last eight games, George is averaging 24.3 points per game on 46% shooting from the field. He’s scored 20+ points in four straight games, and recently had a stretch of four games in which he scored 30+ points. Those are MVP numbers.
More importantly, his team is doing well. The Pacers are now 29-23 on the season and have a record of 13-5 in 2017. They’re the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference going into tonight’s game against the Washington Wizards.
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The All-Star has been clutch all season long for the Indiana Pacers. He’s shooting 52.2% in clutch situations. George is also having his most efficient season in the NBA. Efficiency was always an Achilles heel for PG, especially in the final minutes.
It isn’t just in the last few minutes either. Last season he shot just 41.8% from the field. Guys like LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, and Kevin Durant are always hovering around 50% shooting. This season, Paul is shooting a very solid 45.2% from the field and 38% from deep. He’s only 0.1% off of his career high in overall shooting percentage, which happened during his rookie season in the NBA.
George and the Pacers will look to continue their momentum as they visit the Washington Wizards. The game is in Washington, which is good news for Paul George. He loves playing in that building. Some of his biggest performances have come inside of the Verizon Center — also known as the Phone Booth.
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If you were wondering, here’s a list of the players that are ahead of Paul in the MVP race: John Wall, Stephen Curry, Isaiah Thomas, Kawhi Leonard, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden. It will take something special for him to jump up into serious contention.