Paul George expects OKC Thunder to be top defense

As Paul George mounted the podium for his first OKC Thunder Media Day his ear to ear smile told the entire story.

Paul George is no longer the newest member of the OKC Thunder and his happiness of the new addition was clear.

From the get, George makes it clear this team may have offensive weapons, yet his belief is the squad can be special, particularly defensively. To that end, Paul George stats he believes OKC has the personnel to be the top defensive team in the Association.

On Carmelo Anthony:

Paul George says the addition of Carmelo Anthony takes this team to whole other level.  In his eyes, George calls Melo one of the purest scorers, best in the NBA. He’s looking forward to his addition to the squad. Gone were the statements of him intending to vie for MVP, replaced by joy over the formation of a new Big 3 in OKC. We’ll see how long that lasts.

George says Melo’s competitive nature and skill are unmatched. Having lined up defensively versus  Anthony repeatedly in the East the small forward calls Melo a bruiser and difficult to guard. Like himself and Westbrook,  Anthony is highly competitive.  Looking ahead, PG anticipates Westbrook and he will make the game far easier for Anthony.

Certainly, examination of both George and Anthony’s previous rosters showcases several quality players, but none compare to this trio.

Interestingly George says he and Roberson will take the tougher defensive (primary opponents on offense) to allow Anthony the ability to do what he does – put points on the board and take pressure off him defensively.

On the Big Three shot allotment:

When asked how will team divvy up shots between the three All-Stars  George’s response is matter of fact.  He deadpans, it’s not new for three great players to be paired up. Not surprisingly the trio has discussed this already and will focus on the hot hand. George further states he feels the onus is on winning first – so who shoots isn’t their concern  – they’ll let the game dictate the situation.

All three of these stars have been “the man” on their squads.Stats point to usage percents and  each player carrying the majority of the offensive load while being tasked with clutch shots.  But, this is Media Day when everyone envisions hoisting Larry O’Brien overhead. Time will tell how how committed each of these three are to adjust their games and compensate for the betterment of the team.

The one fact which tends to lead credence to Paul George saying “we’ll let the game dictate what happens” is each of these stars has a common goal – winning. At the heart of what George (as well as Anthony) is saying is truth. Each of these stars are driven to win and not enter mid April exhausted. Furthermore, each of the 3 would benefit from being recognized as a player with the penchant to make winning happen at any cost.

Shorter preseason:

As much as players pined for the reduced preseason period, this shorter timetable may be coming at an inopportune time. Still, George quipped  time spent with Melo at Olympics/summer helps the trio.  All three of the triad have put in minutes together which PG  believes will fast track their assimilation. Hours spent in the gym this offseason with Russ provides them a leg up, yet the learning curve is real. Chemistry and rhythm will come, but PG feels it won’t take long to find a flow between the triad. The trio are anxious to get on the court and aren’t concerned as they believe the final result will be success.

His greatest strength:

George’s responded his biggest strength he feels is his versatility on both ends at the small forward position. He calls this a rare commodity in today’s game. Of that, PG is correct as arguably only a handful of small forwards possess a similar 2-way game. Kawhi Leonard and Jimmy Butler being the comparable talent.

As far as areas of growth PG is excited to work with Melo and  Russ to develop his leadership and accountability skills. Notably, George has always been a player who wanted to do everything and he’s approached his workouts to enable those results.

The triad:

Paul George says the conversations about playing together go all the way back to the Olympics. He further says he and Russ played a big part in bringing Melo to OKC. They recruited him HARD. After, he joked he told Melo about the ponds he’s visited and fish he’s caught. Assuredly, these weren’t the key selling points for Anthony who prefers the big city lights.

Must Read: Dwyane Wade was made for this iteration of the Thunder

On Dwyane Wade potentially coming to OKC:

As a huge grin spread across his face, Paul George  says he’ll leave this process to Sam Presti. Adding,  he worked out with Wade who looks great (physically).  Adding levity to the question, George quipped he’ll do whatever is necessary to land Wade. Whether that is tweeting, snap chatting or whatever tool he has to bring Wade to OKC.

On competing in this era:

George touched on how iconic Westbrook’s triple-double MVP season was and in this era of basketball. In addition, the implication was (in my opinion) that both he and Melo dealt with similar restrictions with their teams. The forward cites the fact this era requires more than one star on every team to compete in this league.

His interview with Dennis Scott of NBA TV:

More from Thunderous Intentions

• Stealing one player from every Southwest Division team for the OKC Thunder
• Should the OKC Thunder chase after a disgruntled hometown hero?
• 3 OKC Thunder players who can step up in Aleksej Pokusevski’s absence
• Aleksej Pokusevski sidelined approximately 6 weeks with ankle injury
• Damian Lillard does not fit with the OKC Thunder

Oddly the opening question from Scott was in reference to the trio all being with Nike. George says the three do have the commonality of working with Nike (and Jordan), but on court they will help to bring out the best in one another.

Scott asked how the change will affect their play now that they are all on the same team. George notes all three players have dealt with double, triple teams and traps for the majority of their careers.  He says opponents can’t do that now and each of the triad will benefit from it.

Paul George says their mindset is to just take the best shot. They want Melo to shoot, Russ to keep being aggressive and he’ll do whatever is necessary.

George is super excited about the defensive ability of this team, particularly with himself and Roberson on the wings.  With the talent on the team he also expects Westbrook will be a matchup problem on the defensive end and calls Adams an underrated big man defender.

In terms of the distractions of next summer, George says the best thing to do is just focus on the year at hand. Then at year end each of the free agents will look at the where the team is and determine their next steps. George was somewhat noncommittal regarding what a successful season would be. All he would offer is making the playoffs (shooting kind of low there Paul) and to be a top defensive team. The forward said if they do everything they expect to then he envisions performing well and doing something special beyond the first and second round. Clearly this team is focused on winning the title, but George chose to not demonstratively state that.

Other Media Day Insights:

Russell Westbrook:  Russell Westbrook hints extension is inevitable

Carmelo Anthony: Carmelo Anthony thrilled to join OKC Thunder and form new ‘Big 3’

Steven Adams: Steven Adams delivers expected humor at Media Day 2017

Patrick Patterson: Patrick Patterson updates on knee, movie suggestions

Andre Roberson and Reserves: Media Day: The squad speaks

Sam Presti:Sam Presti talks Carmelo Anthony addition on Media Day 2017

Billy Donovan:  Billy Donovan thoughts for 2017-18 season