PG: 'I had some insecurities' after offseason surgery

Los Angeles Clippers star Paul George missed the club's first 11 games of the 2019-20 campaign after undergoing offseason surgery on both of his shoulders.

The All-Star forward wasn't feeling like his old self when he returned and admits that it's taken him some time to find his bearings.

"Really, I had some insecurities to start the season off," George told reporters Friday, including ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk. "I had insecurities throughout the season just because I wasn't all the way 100 (%). Shoulder didn't feel back to 100. Everything was kind of waiting and hoping, believing in the doctors that everything they were telling me was going to come into this moment now where I feel great, no shoulder issues.

"The whole season, all the way up until maybe a month or two ago, I had to always do shoulder rehab stuff, warming the shoulder up. Just so much went into stuff I had to do before I actually took a foot on the floor. Now I feel great again ... feeling back to myself again."

George is averaging 21 points, 5.7 boards, 3.9 assists, and 1.3 steals this season.

He and reigning Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard lead a Clippers squad that's seeking the franchise's first-ever NBA championship. Despite the club's title-contending status, George had some "mixed emotions" about suiting up amid the ongoing social unrest in the United States.

"It was a roller coaster of whether we should play or not," George said. "I think, ultimately, as young African Americans, we have an unbelievable opportunity to use our voices. I don't necessarily think it's taking away by starting the league. I don't think it's taking away of what's the important issues in our world. We can still address those more so than we've done before with our platforms."

George added: "Spotlight is on us. We're opening back up the sports world. With that alone, we should have more than enough of an opportunity to get our message and our points across."