“Paul George is playing on an MVP level” – Isaiah Hartenstein lobbies for his LA Clippers teammate to win the NBA MVP race

Paul George made another MVP statement on Saturday night. George guided the Los Angeles Clippers to a comfortable 129-102 win against the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves, with a 23-point, 10-of-17 (58.8%) shooting from the field and a nine-rebound performance. It wasn’t exactly a record-breaking night for George, but it was enough to give the Clippers their seventh straight win of the season.

Isaiah Hartenstein, the 23-year-old reserve Clippers’ center, who put up 12 points and 12 rebounds in the win, lobbied for Paul George to win the NBA MVP race based on his current form. Hartenstein, who has played in Houston and Denver previously, said of George:

“Paul George is playing on an MVP level. I've played with some MVP guys – James [Harden], Russ [Westbrook], [Nikola] Jokic.”

Paul George guides LA Clippers to fourth seven-game win streak since joining the franchise

Hartenstein’s plug for George is not without evidence. Now in his 12th NBA season, Paul George is averaging 26.4 ppg and a career-best 2.5 spg with the LA Clippers. His scoring average is the fourth-best in the league this season while his steals average ranks the best in the NBA.

More importantly, Paul George has given the Clippers their fourth seven-game winning streak since he joined the franchise after leaving the Oklahoma City Thunder. The first instance when the Clippers went on a seven-game winning run is when PG debuted for the team in November 2019. The team then pulled off a similar streak in January 2021 as part of their 2020-21 campaign, an effort the Clippers emulated in April 2021.

Now, after a woeful 1-4 start, Paul George’s MVP-caliber play has lifted the Clippers to an 8-4 record, giving them fifth position in the Western Conference standings. If George can lead them to another win against Chicago in their next game, it would be the first time the Clippers have won eight straight games in a row since they reeled off ten straight in January 2016.

Paul George has never won an MVP award. His best showing came when he finished third behind Giannis Antetokounmpo and James Harden in the 2018-19 MVP race.

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