Through his first nine games, Paul George has hit 20 three-pointers. In 61 contests as a rookie in 10-11, George converted a total of just 41. He only hit 41 for good reason -- he shot 29.7% from downtown.

This season has been entirely different. George is shooting 57.1% from beyond the arc, something he attributes to a busy offseason in the gym.

“It was a lot of repetition, but I think just getting familiar with the distance is what really helped,” he told RealGM. “Plus, I got a little stronger, which helped too.” 

Through Monday’s action, only Boston’s Ray Allen (63.4%) and San Antonio’s Richard Jefferson (58%) are hitting threes at a higher rate this season.

George has taken almost half of his shots from behind the three-point line -- 45.5% of his 77 field goals. In 10-11, 34.9% of his attempts came from the distance.

Despite a high rate of three-point attempts, he insists he’s only taking the shots that defenses are giving him.

“I shot all over the court. I didn’t just focus on the three-point line. I did a lot of midrange work as well,” George said of his offseason workouts. “Those are just the shots that I’m getting right now.”