Paul George was upset he showed 'weakness' last season

Paul George once again looks like an MVP candidate this season, and the humiliation of last season might be partly to thank.

The L.A. Clippers forward scored 26 points on 8-of-14 shooting in a blowout win over the Sacramento Kings on Friday. After the game, George said he has been motivated by the way the 2019-20 campaign ended for the team. George said, per Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN:

“I’m coming back with vengeance. I didn’t like, not so much of the noise and everything around [the way last season ended], but just the fact that people saw weakness.

“And I had to address that. I had to answer that. That fueled me. That put me in a place where I wanted to come back and be myself again.”

In his age-30 campaign, George is now averaging a robust 25.3 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game. He is also posting career-highs of 50.3 percent from the field and a ridiculous 51.5 percent from three. Those are better numbers than what fellow star Kawhi Leonard is even averaging.

In previous months, George seemed to be pointing fingers elsewhere for the Clippers’ embarrassing playoff collapse. But it does sound like he has now found a more positive place to channel that energy.