Clippers’ Paul George is ‘targeting a return in the semifinals’, won’t return until ‘close to 100%’

Los Angeles Clippers superstar Paul George is said to be targeting a return in the Western Conference Semifinals, according to The Athletic.

George has been back at practice getting some work in however, head coach Tyronn Lue told reporters that George won’t return until he is at least ‘close to 100 percent without being able to injure himself even more.’

‘It’s encouraging to see. Just seeing him be able to do some things and actually starting to feel better is good to see,’ said Lue ‘Especially from the nasty blow that he took.’

‘Thought it could be a lot worse than what it was. So just seeing him be able to do some things and actually starting to feel better, that’s good to see because you don’t want to see your players get hurt and get injured, and it could have been a lot worse than what it was.’ 

George suffered a sprained right knee against the Oklahoma City Thunder on March 21 when he landed awkwardly following a mid-air collision. He has averaged 23.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 5.1 assists through the 56 games he’s featured in this season.

Paul George is said to be targeting the second round of the playoffs to return to the lineup

George suffered sprained knee while playing against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Mar. 21st

Clippers Head coach Tyronn Lue insisted George won’t be back until ‘he’s close to 100 percent’

As expected, the Clippers have been a vastly better team on offensive of the floor when George is on the court as opposed to when he is not.

LA has a had an effective field goal percentage of .573 when George plays compared to .533 when he doesn’t.

George has also often been charged with guarding the oppositions either the primary or secondary most potent threat on the other end of the floor as well, however Lue insisted the team would not rush back one of it’s most important players.

‘We’re definitely not going to do anything to hurt PG,’ Lue said. ‘Even if he does try to come back and he’s not right, we’re not going to let him go because we’re not going to let him injure himself and make it worse than what it really is.’

‘When he comes back, we’ll make sure he’s close to 100 percent without being able to injure himself even more.’

The Clippers have decided to start Nicolas Batum in George’s place, leaving Kawhi Leonard to take the more physical defensive matchup.

On the offensive end, point guard Russell Westbrook has seen the largest uptick in his production as he has gone from averaging 3.3 points and 7.3 assists in 12 games with George in the lineup compared to, 19.2 points and eight assists in the nine games without George.

Heading into the playoff series against the Phoenix Suns, LA will likely lean on Leonard even more as he duels with Kevin Durant on both ends of the court.

Nicolas Batum and Russell Westbrook have been the biggest to step up in George’s absence