Paul George’s Shooting Slump Is In The Rear-View Mirror
By Josh Padmore
Paul George appears to be out of his shooting slump, as he has averaged 35 points per game over his last two games.
Paul George and the Indiana Pacers went through a tough stretch of games after the All-Star break, shooting just 29.6% from the field through the first four games. Pacers Twitter began to question the star’s heart.
But in the last two games, PG has set fire to that notion, as well as to his shot chart.
Since then, George has found his shot. He’s averaging 35 points per game over his last two contests, shooting 12 of 23 (52%) from three-point range. He made 6 three-pointers in each of those games.
PG-13 is heavily relying on the three-point shot as he has taken seven or more attempts over the last four games.
More from 8 Points, 9 Seconds
- 2 Studs, 1 dud from gut-wrenching Indiana Pacers loss to Charlotte Hornets
- Handing out early-season grades for Pacers’ Bruce Brown, Obi Toppin
- 3 positives, 2 negatives in Pacers In-Season Tournament win vs. Cavaliers
- 2 positives, 3 negatives from first week of Indiana Pacers basketball
- Should Isaiah Jackson’s days with Indiana Pacers be numbered?
In the last two games, he is making 52.2% of his 11.5 attempts a game. You’d like to see him attack the rim and get some free-throws, though, as he has only shot 5 free-throws over those previous two games against the Atlanta Hawks and Charlotte Hornets.
Attacking the basket has been a bit of a rarity for George this season. Despite shooting a career high 91.7% from the line, PG is attempting the least amount of free-throws per game (4.8) among seasons in which he’s been an All-Star.
George will look to continue his momentum on Wednesday night at home against the Detroit Pistons on ESPN. Despite having one of the better perimeter defenders in the league in Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, PG has dominated the Pistons this year. He’s averaged 26.3 points per game against them, which is the 4th highest scoring average he has against a team in which the Pacers have played at least twice this season.
The Pacers have already won the season series against the Pistons, regardless of the outcome of Wednesday’s game. They won the first three games, but still, this will be a big game for both teams, as they’re jostling for playoff positioning in the Eastern Conference.
Next: I Do Not Believe Larry Bird
One more thing the Pacers will look to do: win their first game on ESPN this season. They are currently winless when being shown on ESPN. Yes, they even lost when they played the lowly Los Angeles Lakers in January.