PG fine with taking back seat: 'Kawhi is the No. 1'

Paul George took the reins of the Los Angeles Clippers last season with Kawhi Leonard out for the entire campaign, but he's OK with taking a back seat now that the two-time Finals MVP is healthy.

"Kawhi is the No. 1. And I am totally fine with that," George told reporters Sunday after the Clippers' preseason loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, according to ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk. "I think I try to complement him with being able to take the load off of him.

"Everybody says, 'Kawhi (and) you are 1 and 1, (or) 1A, 1B.' I'll publicly say, I'm the 2. Kawhi's the 1, I'm the 2. So that part we nipped in the bud. Like there's no ego when it comes to that."

George and Leonard are entering their fourth year in Los Angeles. The Clippers advanced to their first conference final in franchise history during the 2020-21 campaign despite losing Leonard to a torn ACL in the previous round.

The following season was mired by Leonard's injury absence. While George stepped up as the club's lead option, he also spent significant time on the sidelines. Los Angeles finished eighth in the West with a 42-40 record but failed to make it out of the play-in tournament.

The Clippers are in the title conversation once again with their star duo back on the floor together. George said he has complete confidence in his abilities and the roster built around him and Leonard.

"I think we will go a long ways if everybody just knows their role and what we bring to the table," George said. "Everything else is easy; we just roll the ball out, and we get after it."