Clippers’ Paul George ready for his closeup without co-star Kawhi Leonard

PLAYA VISTA — Last year, Paul George entered the play with thing to prove: That his disastrous stint successful the bubble was an anomaly.

This time, George comes successful with different happening to prove: That his spectacular spell successful the Clippers’ astir caller playoffs was acold from a fluke.

This season’s starting constituent is overmuch preferable.

“(It) was a batch of up and down and conscionable a batch of moving pieces coming into past year,” said George, who stepped confidently into the void erstwhile the Clippers mislaid chap All-Star Kawhi Leonard to a torn close anterior cruciate ligament successful the 2nd circular of the playoffs, averaged 29.6 points, 11 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 1.4 steals per crippled successful the team’s last 8 games.

“Now this year, there’s a batch of consistency, conscionable successful my beingness alone, my approach,” George added, speaking during media time connected Monday astatine the Clippers’ signifier facility. “There’s a batch of consistency. I cognize what I’m doing. I cognize what I’m getting into. I cognize what I’m facing.

“So it’s nighttime and day, nighttime and day. I consciousness similar I’m a batch much clear-headed, a batch much focused, and conscionable sharper coming into the situation.

“I’m conscionable ready,” the 31-year-old Palmdale autochthonal added. “I’m acceptable for this successful immoderate capableness it is. I’m acceptable for the challenge.”

HAPPY RETURNEES

Like Leonard, Reggie Jackson (two years, $10.8 million) and Nicolas Batum (two years, $6.5 million) some re-signed with the Clippers successful escaped agency, spurning different offers to tally it backmost successful L.A.

It doesn’t look arsenic though it was a hard determination for either.

“I felt similar a kid waiting connected Christmas,” said Jackson, the flashy defender who earned the moniker “Mr. June” for his splendid postseason, successful which helium started 17 of 19 games and averaged 17.8 points portion shooting 48.4% from the floor, including 40.8% (58 for 142) from 3-point range.

“‘Just hurry up and fig it retired and get it done!’” Jackson, 31, said. “‘Get the years retired there, immoderate it is.’ The numbers, my bureau and beforehand office, I was like, ‘Hurry up! Please fig it out!’

“Shoot, it took maine similar a period and a fractional to adjacent permission aft the season,” Jackson added. “I didn’t privation to spell elsewhere. I was successful the gathering moving retired constantly, grooming still, whenever Paul deed maine up, marque definite I was doing workouts with him.

“Unless they didn’t privation maine here, I deliberation I was going to beryllium a Clipper. Even then, I was conscionable going to bring my bags and beryllium connected the beforehand doorway and inquire for anything.”

Buddies. Or, arsenic Reggie puts it, “brothers.” pic.twitter.com/yvCW9oLxRR

— Mirjam Swanson (@MirjamSwanson) September 27, 2021

Batum did permission aft the season, traveling to Tokyo to assistance France gain a metallic medal astatine the Summer Olympics. He was successful Japan erstwhile helium made the “easy” determination to re-sign. It felt lone right, helium said, aft a play successful which the versatile, 32-year-old guardant was bought retired by Charlotte, picked up by L.A. and past coiled up starring the Clippers successful minutes (1,835) portion shooting 40.4% from 3-point scope and playing heads-up defense.

“I cognize the project. I cognize the goals. I cognize what we person astatine our core,” Batum said. “We person the aforesaid group, and I liked it. Why spell anyplace else? They gave maine a accidental to beryllium a subordinate again, truthful I privation to travel backmost and person amusive and support winning.”

IBAKA IN RECOVERY MODE

Serge Ibaka is back, too, aft opting successful to the 2nd twelvemonth of his contract. He said it was not a pugnacious telephone for him, either, connected relationship of his unfinished concern with the Clippers.

The 6-foot-10 halfway was constricted to conscionable 41 regular-season games past play due to the fact that of a pinched nervus successful his backmost that yet required country during the playoffs.

“They had to cleanable up my disc due to the fact that that’s wherever the nerves travel successful and out,” Ibaka, 32, said. “It wasn’t that bad, I’ve conscionable been dealing with the symptom for truthful agelong for astir a year, that’s the hard part. I thought if I conscionable support working, support taking the baths, strengthening my core, I’m going to beryllium fine, but it was not the case. I privation I could get country earlier, earlier during the season, but hey, things happen. Now I’m going to absorption connected it for the adjacent season.”

He says he’s present “close to being 100%,” and has started doing interaction drills, though he’s inactive successful a wait-and-see mode to spot however his assemblage responds.

“I didn’t deliberation doubly due to the fact that I’m the benignant of person, I don’t springiness up,” said Ibaka, who won an NBA rubric successful Toronto with Leonard successful 2019. “I consciousness similar I person unfinished concern here, and I privation to amusement the Clippers fans what Serge Ibaka was looking for, what they privation to see. I consciousness similar I didn’t springiness that past year. I didn’t springiness them that past year.

“I was like, you cognize what? I person to decorativeness the job.”

Serge Ibaka says his betterment from backmost country is “so far, truthful good.” pic.twitter.com/guR5KeQ7jk

— Mirjam Swanson (@MirjamSwanson) September 27, 2021