Thunderous Intentions
Fansided

Three years after injury Paul George embarks on new chapter with OKC Thunder

By Tamberlyn Richardson

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - JULY 11: Thunder fans greet Paul George of the Oklahoma City Thunder on July 11, 2017 at the Will Rogers Airport in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The Thunder acquired George from the Indiana Pacers in a trade. Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Layne Murdoch/NBAE via Getty Images)
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - JULY 11: Thunder fans greet Paul George of the Oklahoma City Thunder on July 11, 2017 at the Will Rogers Airport in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The Thunder acquired George from the Indiana Pacers in a trade. Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Layne Murdoch/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Three years ago this August, Paul George suffered a horrendous leg injury which could have ended his career.

Paul George entered the offseason of 2014 seemingly poised for another breakthrough. Then a  freak accident abruptly halted his ascension. In retrospect, his story has the makings for an eventual Hollywood movie.

The Injury:

Heading into the summer of 2014 the small forward appeared destined to etch his name among the very best of his peers. George made his first All-NBA team that season (3rd team) and was coming off his second consecutive Eastern Conference Finals.  PG appeared on the precipice of superstardom and was the clear LeBron James counterpart in the East.

Then in a flash on August 1, 2014, a freak accident altered George’s continuing ascent upwards. Playing an intramural Team USA Scrimmage George fell awkwardly into the basketball stanchion and fractured his leg. At the time the incident so jarred Kevin Durant he chose not to participate in the International FIBA event.

The Return:

What many fail to recognize is how devastating that injury could have been to George’s career. Perhaps the one saving grace was the fracture was a clean break and he was still so young. He returned to action well ahead of projections to play 6 games in 2015, but it was the end of the Pacers dominance as the primary challengers to LeBron’s Heat.

By this point LeBron had moved back to Cleveland, however, new teams were battling in the East. Although George achieved improving production each of his past two Pacers seasons the team and the League had substantially changed.

George slowly returned to his pre-injury dominance highlighted by his stellar showing versus the Raptors In the 2016 playoffs. His undermanned, overmatched Pacers pushed Toronto to 7 games. This past season Indy struggled to find consistency and again exited in the first round of the playoffs.

OKC Thunder year-long courtship:

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Then the infamous Presti magician trade occurred on Draft Night bringing Paul George to OKC. Undoubtedly George is invested in going deep in the playoffs and reclaiming an All-NBA team spot. Yet, topping his bucket list is winning a title.

Clearly George will be invested in having a strong season as he enters free agency in the summer of 2018. Meanwhile, the OKC Thunder year-long courtship to woo PG to re-sign is already underway.  Ultimately, PG’s decision will come down to a couple of factors. The main ones are a comfortable location, talented team, opportunity for deep playoff runs, and money. On this shortlist, he says winning is his primary concern.

Married with PG’s decision is the future of Westbrook. Many are speculating his super-max contract may get signed tomorrow on Russell Westbrook Day in OKC. If Brodie does wrap up his deal prior to season start, you can bet the MVP will enter this season with one goal in mind – to get as deep in the playoffs as possible. Given the will of Russ – I wouldn’t bet against him inspiring his team to their deepest run in years.

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