Former L.A. Clippers guard Patrick Beverley thinks that Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors would have won more championships than they have if Paul George were Steph’s backcourt partner instead of Klay Thompson.
During a recent episode of “The Pat Bev podcast”, Beverley and his co-host Adam Ferrone were comparing Klay and PG when Rone asked Pat Bev who would’ve done better on the Dubs, and Pat picked Paul.
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“If you put Paul George in that role as Klay Thompson, you know, playing with Steph, Draymond Green, Iguodala at a point, obviously, we know Paul George. But we know Paul George was, you know, a couple years ago, he was in the MVP race,” said Beverley. “If you substitute them two, right, I think, and we don’t know, but we’re just going off what we think in basketball, I think that Golden State probably wins more championships.”
PG is the better player, but Klay is the better fit
Thompson spent his first 11 NBA seasons in Golden State as Steph Curry’s starting backcourt partner. During that span, he averaged 19.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game while shooting 41.3 percent from 3-point distance and making 3.1 3-pointers per game as the Warriors’ second option.
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Meanwhile, George is one of the best two-way players during his prime. The nine-time NBA All-Star has a career average of 20.6 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.7 steals per game. At his peak during the 2018-19 season, PG was named to the All-NBA first team while finishing third in the MVP voting after putting up 28.0 points, 8.2 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and a league-leading 2.2 steals per game.
One could say that PG is the better individual player than Klay. He has proven that he can be the best payer on a team, while Thompson has never been the main guy on any NBA team he’s played for. However, when it comes to playing in Golden State, where you have a guy like Steph Curry, fit is more important than talent, and that’s why the Splash Brothers clicked.
Stephen A. said PG would disrupt the rhythm in Golden State
Back in 2024, when Klay left for the Dallas Mavericks, there were talks that the Warriors were considering Paul George to be his replacement, but eventually, PG ended up going to the Sixers. But back then, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith made an interesting comment about George possibly playing for the Warriors.
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“I just don’t view him as a catch-and-shoot guy,” SAS said. “I view him as somebody…that has the potential to disrupt their rhythm. He’s better suited for the Clippers. He’s better suited for Philadelphia. He would have been better suited for the New York Knicks, to some degree, rather than Golden State. That’s just how I view it. I could be wrong.”
Of course, this was 2024, when the Dubs had already won four NBA titles, so PG would definitely disrupt the team’s rhythm. But even then, Smith makes a good point about George not being a catch-and-shoot guy, which is what made Klay click with Steph. Because with Curry’s movement-based game, the Dubs don’t need a star who will dominate the ball. They need another shooter who would throw off opposing defenses like a double-barreled shotgun. And in that regard, there’s no question it’s Klay over PG.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Aug 24, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.