F George set to make Clippers debut this week

The Los Angeles Clippers have opened 7-3, are coming off a victory over the defending champion Toronto Raptors and now have something else to buoy their spirits: Paul George reportedly will make his debut with the team by Thursday. The six-time All-Star forward, acquired from the Oklahoma City Thunder in a July trade, has missed the opening 10 games of the season while recovering from two offseason shoulder surgeries.

The Clippers play back-to-back road games Wednesday at Houston and Thursday at New Orleans. The game against the Pelicans is believed to be the day George is targeting for his return, but the contest against the Rockets has not been ruled out entirely. George, 29, was acquired by the Clippers along with Kawhi Leonard to form a title-contending roster. Two of their three losses this season were played without Leonard as part of his load-management strategy.

The Clippers are ranked 11th in the NBA in team defense, allowing 106.9 points per game, and are coming off Monday's victory when they held Toronto to 88 points. George is expected to make the Clippers' defense even better, with Leonard and Patrick Beverley shutting down the perimeter. George, the 10th overall selection in the 2010 NBA draft by the Indiana Pacers, has averaged 19.8 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists over his seven-year career. He scored 28.0 points with 8.2 rebounds and an NBA-leading 2.2 steals in 77 games last season with the Thunder.

 

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