Oklahoma City Thunder: Paul George has a case for NBA MVP
By Cai Owen
To say Paul George has been sublime this season for the Oklahoma City Thunder would be somewhat of an understatement
With Russell Westbrook experiencing what many perceive to be a down year, Paul George has taken things to another level. He’s currently averaging 25/8/4 on 45/38/83 splits, along with just over two steals an outing. His stellar play has the Oklahoma City Thunder at 20-10, good enough for second in the West.
George’s ability to excel on both sides of the floor puts him in a rare fraternity. There are few stars in today’s game who are able to perform at an All-NBA level both offensively and defensively.
Putting up career-high averages in points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks and made 3’s, Laker fans – with the prospect of George playing alongside LeBron James this past summer – will be thinking what could have been. For George, well his decision to re-up in OKC is looking a pretty good one right now.
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Given the Jazz’s excellent finish to last season, the dominance of the Rockets and Warriors, along with the other Western heavyweights, the Thunder have flown under the radar a little.
To be 20-10 without Russell Westbrook performing at the peak of his powers is a scary proposition. With the emergence of Jerami Grant, the continued improvement of Steven Adams, and the addition of Dennis Schroder, it’s fair to say this Thunder ball club has an extremely high ceiling – given everything goes smoothly.
OKC’s continued excellence will be crucial to George’s MVP case. With Russ yet to hit top gear – from a scoring standpoint that is – the Thunder’s start certainly isn’t a fluke. This team is for real.
George’s emergence as potentially the 1A in the Westbrook-George dynamic may also bear some responsibility in the team’s sound start. Not only are the Thunder on track to be better than last year from a record standpoint, but they’re also much better aesthetically.
There’s no denying the majority of the offense still runs through Russ and PG – as it should – but Steven Adams has been a force in the low-post all year (career-high 16 ppg) and the presence of Dennis Schroder off the bench puts less pressure on Westbrook to be other-worldly. Jerami Grant’s improvement from beyond the arc has also unlocked some things for this Thunder offense.
OKC’s ability to be hovering atop the heap without nightly heroics from George and Russ is huge for this team. In the post-Durant era, it’s been a dogfight for playoff seeding most years. Russ has needed to play all 82 and play at an obscene level. There were similar shades last year, with the dynamic duo having to make up for the lackluster play of the supporting cast.
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Things seem different in Oklahoma this year. This Oklahoma City Thunder ball club is as balanced and in control as maybe it’s ever been, and there’s no doubt Paul George is the man in command.