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Injury Update on Paul George
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Injury updates on Paul George's torn UCL have been extremely vague since the injury was initially announced. On February 25th, after George's MRI and reevaluation, head coach Ty Lue said, "He feels better, he's making progress, but he's gonna need more time," That was the extent of Lue's update that day, who said he was "not sure" when asked if George would be able to return this season.
Since then, Paul George has been at every home game, often getting up off his seat to throw up some left-handed jump shots during timeouts. At Saturday's practice, PG was seen getting up right-handed jumpers for the first time.
The Athletic's Law Murray reported, "Paul George is only able to shoot 17 feet in right now. Next MRI isn't scheduled yet. But his ability to shoot today left a positive impression on coaching staff working with him." LA Clippers guard Luke Kennard added that this is the first time he has seen George shoot like this since the injury.
Neither Paul George or Kawhi Leonard have been officially ruled out for the season; however, neither have indicated that a return is likely either. While it has never been publicly stated by anyone within the organization, it has always been logical to assume that Paul George's availability to return this season would impact Kawhi Leonard's willingness to attempt a return himself. Should George come back, it would seemingly incentivize Kawhi's pursuit of a return as well.
There are obviously several things that must go right in order for Kawhi Leonard and Paul George to make returns this season, but that door has yet to be shut by Ty Lue or anyone else in the organization. With the Clippers still very much alive in the playoff picture, it seems reasonable to believe that their injured stars would indeed attempt a comeback if healthy enough to do so.
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