Skip Bayless and Paul George (Image Source: Getty Images)

Paul George’s free agency was the talk of the town till he signed with the Sixers. His massive 4-year $212 million contract comes with the added weight of expectations of winning his first ever NBA championship. But Skip Bayless believes PG13 is not the guy who can deliver that.

During the latest episode of “The Skip Bayless Show”, the veteran analyst put out a damning report card about Paul George. “For the record, I have never wavered for the record in my assessment of Paul George. He’s just not that guy,” Bayless said. He further added, “He’s not a superstar. He’s just a star and he’s a really good star. But he’s just a second star.”

Despite praising his shooting, the Fox analyst raised a question mark over George’s current defensive abilities at the age of 34. “He ranked 52nd in defensive wind shares, but he’s not shut down, locked down anymore… The problem with Paul George is he has no real killer will to him,” Bayless concluded.

While the analyst was convinced that Paul George’s absence had had no transformative effect, his ex-teammate had nothing but praise for the former Pacers player.

Former Clippers Teammate Reacts to Paul George’s Move to Philly

After the Clippers’ playoff failure last season, George’s exit was more or less confirmed. Despite the Warriors’ continued interest, the 34-year-old finally moved to LA, and now one of his former teammates has broken silence over it.

During the post-game interview of Croatia’s for the Olympics qualifier, Ivica Zubac was asked about Paul George’s exit. “We played together for 5 seasons. It’s definitely tough seeing him leave. He was a big piece. It’s gonna be hard to replicate for us, he did so much, but there’s a business side [to basketball]. Unfortunately, that was the best decision for him, we’re gonna miss him a lot, but we signed some new guys. We got to work with what we have already and I’m sure we’re gonna have a great season,” Zubac told the press.

Zubac has spent all of his Clippers tenure with PG-13 since joining the franchise in 2019. Paul George’s exit could only mean increased involvement from Zubac. With James Harden remaining with the Clippers, the LA franchise still has a more than competent team on their hands, but it will be interesting to see how Ty Lue prepares for life after Paul George.