Every NBA player started as a fan of the game first. So, despite reaching the pinnacle of the sport, deep down, they are still fans who want the game to be played the way it was meant. During a recent appearance on Podcast P with Paul George, rapper Lil Dicky asked the nine-time All-Star an interesting question in that regard. He asked Paul George if he could watch a game today without going into critical thinking or if he was annoyed when someone like Devin Booker scores 70 points.
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The short answer to that is, yes, he still watches games. However, George gave a detailed answer to Lil Dicky’s question. He said that by nature; he is hyper-critical of himself, which in turn allows him to become the best player that he can be. PG said that he watches the games of players that he looks up to or the ones he believes he is compared with, just so he can keep up with them. He recalled what LeBron James said on his podcast about his method of getting over a slump.
LeBron had said, “Oh, by the way, the number one reason you do that [watch your own highlights] is when you hit like a little slump or whatever. ‘Where’s my game at?’ YouTube is the perfect place to find your game.” PG said that he also watches his own highlights to remind him of the player that he is. He said, “What that does for me is, it helps me…oh sh*t, I do move good, or I can move good.” Even though he digressed from the main question for a while, he brought it back after explaining the importance of highlights.
The former Clipper said that he watches players like Jimmy Butler, Kevin Durant, and LeBron James to see what they’re doing so that he can explore something similar within himself. As someone with a high competitive drive, PG feels like inspecting every bit of other people’s game helps him stay in the right frame of mind, especially when it’s his time to go against them.
As for the initial question about watching Booker drop 70, he said that he doesn’t need any added motivation there because they have enough history between them to keep him fired up for a challenge. The bottom line from PG is that he can’t separate the competitor from the fan in him. But he believes it’s a good thing because it helps him become a better player, even at the cost of tearing down his own game.
