OKC Thunder star Paul George catapults into superstar territory
After a spectacular start to the season, OKC Thunder star Paul George is pushing his game to new heights and currently lays among greatness.
When Paul George re-signed with the OKC Thunder in the off-season, it was a major coup for the organization and a huge sigh of relief for a nervous franchise that saw Kevin Durant and James Harden walk out the door.
24 games into the season and PG13 has been nothing short of spectacular.
The All Star is in a purple patch of form, posting insane numbers in almost every statistical category catapulting himself into the MVP conversation. More recently, George shot his very first 80-80-80 percent game, posting 31 points on 8-10 from the field, 10-12 from the stripe and 4-5 from three in the 122-113 win over the Utah Jazz.
George was so hot, he made a 3-pointer on a tough step-back jumper in Jazz defender Royce O’Neale‘s face.
Thunder fans have seen PG13 have spectacular games but his sheer consistency suggests the star has entered the 2018-19 season on another level.
PG13 by the Numbers
Here are Geroge’s numbers in Oklahoma City’s last five games:
| Rk | G | Date | Opp | MP | FG | FGA | FG% | 3P | 3PA | 3P% | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | PTS | +/- | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | 21 | 2018-11-30 | ATL | W (+15) | 28:31 | 6 | 14 | .429 | 3 | 8 | .375 | 1.000 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 20 | +5 | |
| 22 | 22 | 2018-12-03 | @ | DET | W (+27) | 30:46 | 7 | 18 | .389 | 2 | 8 | .250 | 1.000 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 17 | +24 |
| 23 | 23 | 2018-12-05 | @ | BRK | W (+2) | 37:11 | 15 | 27 | .556 | 6 | 13 | .462 | .786 | 15 | 4 | 0 | 47 | +12 |
| 24 | 24 | 2018-12-07 | @ | CHI | L (-2) | 36:28 | 6 | 16 | .375 | 2 | 9 | .222 | .833 | 5 | 7 | 4 | 19 | +2 |
| 25 | 25 | 2018-12-10 | UTA | W (+9) | 30:12 | 8 | 10 | .800 | 5 | 6 | .833 | .833 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 31 | +17 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 12/12/2018.
To put these numbers into perspective, PG’s performances have been compared to annual MVP candidate LeBron James. The King is having another fantastic season at year 16 but PG13 is keeping pace with the future hall of famer.
Paul George has been playing MVP-level basketball this month. It's true! Check the stats, man! @AndrewKSchlecht @DownToDunk @bballbreakdown pic.twitter.com/8xPImUJrxC
— ThunderBus (@Thunder_Bus_Pod) December 11, 2018
This is not to suggest that George has become the NBA’s best player but PG clearly deserves to be mentioned as one of the leagues top 10 talents.
Rise to the top
Oklahoma City currently sit atop of the Western Conference standings with a 17-8 record, possesses the leagues best defense (101.6) and have gone 17-4 since an 0-4 start to the year. Russell Westbrook has his usual self averaging 22.1 points, 10.6 rebounds and 10.2 assists but PG’s exceptional two-way play has push them over the edge.
In fact PG has been so great, he’s launched himself into superstar company.
Paul George is averaging 25.2 points per 36 MP and an individual DRtg of 100
— Basketball Reference (@bball_ref) December 11, 2018
In the last 20 years, only MJ, Shaq, Malone, Iverson, Yao, LeBron, and Giannis have had a season with 25+ points per 36 and a DRtg of 100 or lower https://t.co/xJBUpovHSy pic.twitter.com/JsMwZDZBiL
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George joined NBA greats Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’Neal, Karl Malone, Allen Iverson, Yao Ming, LBJ and current Milwaukee Buck star Giannis Antetokounmpo as the only players to average more than 25 points per 36 minutes while possessing a defensive rating of 100 points or less.
The names mentioned above were all tremendous defenders and PG13 certainly fits the bill. Along with his individual defensive rating, George is pacing all NBA players in steals, averaging a strong 2.2 thefts per game.
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If George is able to sustain this incredible run, Oklahoma City will be in a great spot come playoff time. While Russ remains the teams unquestioned leader, PG is making a case as the teams most important player.