Paul George of the Indiana Pacers was billed as Kryptonite for LeBron James coming into the season, and for quite a while looked like arguably the best player in the NBA. As the year has wound down though, George is wheezing to the finish line of the regular season, with several controversies in his rearview mirror along with his accomplishments.
George is scoring a career-high 21.6 points per game this year, but has also been involved in two highly embarrassing off-court scandals. The first involved him allegedly cheating on his girlfriend Callie Rivers, the daughter of Clippers coach Doc Rivers, with a Miami stripper and fathering a child with her.
George didn't duck the situation, telling media "If and when there is any legal confirmation I'm the father, I embrace it. I step up to it."
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Later in the season, revealing selfies were leaked onto the internet and rumors spread that he was "catfished" by a gay man, lending to unflattering comparisons to former Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o. George had answers for that incident too.
"The whole story, as far as me being catfished, I know the girl that sent the pictures out," George told The Indianapolis Star. "It wasn't a catfish story, it was a girl - I don't want to get into the story but I know who's behind it."
Still, while he's responded to the issues with maturity, he has shown a lack of maturity and leadership winding up in these tough spots at all. It's hard to believe it isn't affecting his play-he's experienced drops in scoring, field goal percentage and 3-point percentages this month. George attributed the declines to ramped up game planning against him, and adjusting to that kind of attention.
"Teams were figuring out how to slow me down," George said to USA Today. "I'm just trying to learn you can't beat a whole team, and that's what I was going through."
It would appear he's still going through it. George and the Pacers may have the mettle to ramp up their performance once the postseason hits, but they've blown the No. 1 seed which would have come in handy come playoff time-they are 34-6 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
If they are to finally dethrone King James, they will most likely have to do it in South Beach-at least some of that can be pinned on George's antics away from the court.
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