Paul George needed a breakout performance for himself and his team
By Tony Heim
The OKC Thunder needed a win. Paul George needed to prove he was still one of the best 15 players in the world. We got both on Friday night.
That’s the message Paul George had for the public after the Oklahoma City Thunder held a closed door team meeting following their fourth straight loss.
42 points, 13-22 from the field, 4-7 from three, 9 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals.
That’s the message Paul George had for himself and his teammates following the Thunder’s closed door meeting/fourth straight loss.
The Thunder’s early-season struggles have been a combination of many things: poor crunch-time communication, stars playing with zero offensive rhythm, luck. The first 11 games of the season had its moments, but it was missing a much-needed dynamic.
Superstar Paul George.
Oklahoma City hadn’t witnessed the player who had been LeBron James’ best competition (individually-speaking) in the Eastern Conference the past few seasons. There were glimpses of the two-way maestro, yet it was evident he was struggling with adopting his new role as a secondary option to Russell Westbrook.
Then the infamous closed door meeting happened. The exact dialogue is unknown – Friday night’s win against the Clippers may have uncovered the bulk of what was said: George is a second option that needs to be used like a first.
Although this is Westbrook’s team, George gives the Thunder a second player who has proven capable of leading a vagabond roster to the Playoffs. He didn’t play like a hybrid scorer/distributor in his first 11 games with OKC. That’s why Friday night was so important for both PG and the Thunder.
George didn’t do anything special against the Clippers. He simply played the game as if he was back in Indiana. The four-time All Star looked comfortable in an OKC offense that featured him as a playmaker on par with Westbrook. George’s 34.4% usage rating was his highest of the season; his 30.4% assist rate was his second highest. He picked his scoring moments and distributed the ball as if he was Oklahoma City’s first option, forcing a Clippers defense to adjust for two superstars playing at a superstar level.
The OKC Thunder needed this Paul George to re-appear. More importantly, Paul George needed this Paul George to re-appear.
As Ben Golliver so aptly put it, George’s honeymoon in Oklahoma City is over. An offseason filled with optimism rushed the Thunder into thinking they already had things figured out. In reality the system Billy Donovan expected to run was not best for his personnel.
This isn’t another team where “Westbrook and Side Pieces” is the M.O. This is a team where George is directly on par with Westbrook, a team where the point guard doesn’t necessarily have to lead the team in assists every night.
George needed a game where he was the best player on the court to prove to himself that he could force the ball out of Russ’ hands in certain games. The fact Russ acquiesced, especially in crunch-time, proves Westbrook is fine with that fact.
What’s Next
Don’t get too excited; Friday night was only one game. George’s shot isn’t going to fall like that every night. That shouldn’t stop the OKC Thunder from utilizing him in a similar manner on a nightly basis though.
Oklahoma City’s offense had their best offensive showing of the season not because of George’s 42 points, but because of his 7 assists. It’s hard enough to contain Russell Westbrook when he’s spreading the ball – once George established himself as a distributor in the second quarter the Thunder offense exploded. It’s no coincidence that 13 of his points and 4 of his assists came in OKC’s highest scoring quarter of the night.
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Now it’s up to Russell Westbrook to keep utilizing his fellow superstar. Even on a 42-point scoring night, George proved that he can be extremely valuable on offense even if his shot isn’t falling. PG simply needs the ball more, in situations where he can do more then come off a screen for a quick jump shot. Those are plays you run for Alex Abrines, not Paul George.
Friday night was a small step forward. It’s about continuing the momentum they just built. Chicago and Dallas, two of the worst teams in the league, provide the Thunder with the perfect teams for that. Continue to put George in situations where he can create for his teammates. Watch the Warriors – their offense is nearly unstoppable because they have multiple players who create scoring opportunities for others.
Last night George proved he should be more than the second option. Instead he should be seen as Option 1B. The more looks the Thunder can throw at opponents, the more difficult they are to defend.
Paul George understood that before last night’s game. The rest of the Thunder didn’t. Now they have a better idea of how they have to play to win games. If everybody falls in line, we’ll see Oklahoma City climb their way back up the standings into the upper-echelon of the Western Conference.