Does anyone love Paul George?

For as wildly talented a player as he is, he sure doesn't garner a lot of love.

I'm sure Paul George's mom loves Paul George. And a few other family members. That seems likely. But for as wildly talented a player as he is, he sure doesn't garner a lot of love.

Paul George is back after an elbow injury! Let the Clippers' fans rejoice. The collective yawn you heard was that of the Clippers' fanbase, because I can't imagine that even they are that excited about Paul George. Plus, how many die hard Clipper fans do you think there are? By some measures, they're the fourth most popular team in the NBA. But really, I would bet that in LA, the Lakers' fans/Clippers' fans ratio has to be at least 10:1.

Paul George was once the young hero known to do insane things while battling prime LeBron James in Indiana. He's been mentioned as a league MVP candidate and described as one of the best two-way players in the game. But does anyone really like Paul George? I don't know anyone who says "Paul George is my favorite player." Maybe I don't have enough friends, but most everyone I talk to about Paul George says something to the effect of, "He's fine. Really good player, but I don't really like him."

No way they like him in Indiana or OKC after he asked for trades out of both spots (although, OKC should love him because he's responsible for a big part of Sam Presti's cheat-code level of draft picks). People love piling on him when he fails. A lot of it is because he runs his mouth after getting sent home by Dame Lillard (saying Dame took a bad shot to seal the win). Or donning the ignominious "Playoff P" moniker, only to eat handfuls of garbage on live TV in Game 6 against the Jazz in 2018. He had five points, three fouls, six turnovers and shot 2/16 from the field as Donavan Mitchell and Slo-mo Joe Ingles torched him on offense.

So Paul George comes back from injury last night and plays a pretty standard Paul George game (25 points on 8-18 shooting, 6 rebounds and 6 assists) as the Clips get rolled by the less-than-impressive Spurs — who had played the night before — 116-92. No one really notices, no one really cares, no one is really surprised. The Clippers don't move the needle.

Is Paul George really significantly better than Tracy McGrady? Or Paul Pierce? It seems like he should be, based on defensive reputation alone. But I don't think he is. He's a weird case study of how a player went from young and beloved small market icon to a largely mocked afterthought. He has a similar arc as Durant, except most people still pay attention to KD and expect him to kill it in the clutch.

So what the hell happened with Paul George? How did things go so weirdly sideways for the man with two first names? Even his listed nicknames on Basketball Reference leave a lot to be desired. Batman? As a real nickname? Has anyone ever called him that? PG-13 is one of the worst nicknames ever. In part because it doubles as the lamest movie rating. And, of course, there's Playoff P, listed right there for the world to see.

But you know what else is on the list? His "Young Trece" nickname. Do you know where that comes from? Well, you should, because it explains a lot. Paul George came into the league wearing 24, because he grew up a Lakers/Kobe fan. But he changed his number after his gruesome leg injury to number 13. You've surely heard how 13 is such a historically lucky number. And we've already covered how cool it is to go by PG-13. But wait, there's more. Check out this section of the origin story of Young Trece:

Miller, of course, wore No. 31. If popular superstition considers 13 to be an unlucky number, he figured the opposite number, 31, would bring good luck. It worked for him, as he played 18 seasons for the Pacers with minimal injury issues on his way to induction in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.

“I'll wear 13 to be the opposite of Reggie,” George said jokingly when he met with the media at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Friday.

Paul George, who is now famous for not being able to back up what he says — was actually backing this one up 100%. This is the ultimate own-goal. Becoming a beloved franchise icon after playing with one team for your whole career? Having minimal injury issues? Dominating in the playoffs and having a reputation of coming through in huge moments?

Paul George, you did this to yourself. You said it. You truly may be the opposite of Reggie Miller.