Paul George Reacts to Dejounte Murray vs. Paolo Banchero Beef

The Orlando Magic's 2022 first-overall pick Paolo Banchero already has a rivalry before playing his first NBA game. Clashing with Dejounte Murray during a pro-am game, the rookie had a back-and-forth war of words with the newly acquired Atlanta Hawks guard on Instagram.

While the beef between Murray and Banchero has already been well covered, LA Clippers star Paul George recently shared his take on the situation:

"Good entertainment, that Orlando-Atlanta matchup, that Paolo [Banchero], Dejounte [Murray] sh*t. But they from the same city, so pretty sure it's all for the love of the game."

Paul George on the Paolo-Dejounte kerfuffle pic.twitter.com/BH0ig4siSg
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) August 10, 2022

Understanding the nature of competition, George was able to contextualize the rivalry from an NBA player's perspective. With both players being from the Seattle area, and competing in a pro-am near where they grew up, there was certainly a level of pride existent despite it not being an NBA game. While underlying feelings and contention certainly seemed to be at play as well, there was indeed a level of competitiveness that Paul George picked up on.

Now in the same conference, with the Atlanta Hawks acquiring Dejounte Murray from the San Santonio Spurs, Murray and Banchero will see a lot of each other this season. While the Magic still may be a few years away from establishing themselves as a legitimate playoff contender, they are a potential sleeper team in the Eastern Conference. Led by Trae Young, and now bolstered by Dejounte Murray, the Atlanta Hawks will look to make a deep playoff run like they did in 2021.

For now, LA Clippers star Paul George is enjoying the rivalry between Murray and Banchero.

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