Smooth Aggression: How OKC Thunder forward Paul George forced his way into MVP race
By Alex Mcewen
Value is in the eye on the beholder
Below is a chart provided by Basketball Reference displaying the season averages of four MVP candidates.
| Rk | Player | G | MP | FGA | FG% | 3P | 3P% | 2P | 2P% | eFG% | FTA | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Giannis Antetokounmpo | 46 | 33.3 | 17.1 | .573 | 0.5 | .200 | 9.3 | .634 | .587 | 9.1 | .705 | 12.6 | 5.9 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 26.5 |
| 2 | Paul George | 49 | 36.0 | 20.4 | .450 | 3.6 | .402 | 5.6 | .487 | .537 | 6.5 | .828 | 8.0 | 4.0 | 2.3 | 0.5 | 27.3 |
| 3 | James Harden | 47 | 37.4 | 24.2 | .438 | 4.9 | .367 | 5.7 | .524 | .539 | 11.9 | .869 | 6.7 | 8.1 | 2.1 | 0.7 | 36.3 |
| 4 | Kawhi Leonard | 38 | 35.1 | 19.2 | .503 | 1.8 | .372 | 7.8 | .549 | .551 | 7.8 | .858 | 7.9 | 3.2 | 1.9 | 0.5 | 27.9 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 1/31/2019.
None of the candidate’s stats stand out as being far superior to the other three MVP hopefuls. Harden leads the group in scoring with 36.3 points per game, the only player in the 30’s. George possesses the highest three-point percentage at 40.2 percent and is the only player with an efficiency over 40 percent. Antetokounmpo grabs the most rebounds 12.6, the only player with double-digit boards.
Metrics only refer to the four players in the above group.
Basketball Reference does provide a more detailed on/off court statistical metric, but for the purposes of comparison, NBA.com stats offers better comparison data. These numbers can be vital when gauging the value a player brings to their team and the overall depth an individual is surrounded with, let’s take a look:
- Leonard: On-court, 1,332 minutes, plus +190 – Off-court, 1189 minutes, plus +91
- Harden: On-court, 1760 minutes, plus +96 – Off-court, 665 minutes, minus -25
- George: On-court, 1766 minutes, plus +388 – Off-court, 649 minutes, minus -137
- Antetokounmpo: On-court, 1530, plus +399 – Off-court, 832 minutes, plus +74
Each player’s on-court plus/minus speaks volumes, however, PG’s off-court plus/minus speaks the loudest among the quartet. The Thunder plummets both offensively and defensively when PG takes a seat.
More from Thunder News
- 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
When George is on the bench, OKC’s offensive rating nosedives to 97.9, easily the worst mark if sustained for the entire season. Oklahoma City’s defense also sputters without PG on the court, the defensive rating with George on the floor is 101.6, when he steps off the hardwood it increases to 108.3.
Closing thoughts
The numbers, marquee moments, and durability have been there all season for George. The question is will the votes be there in the end for the All-Star starter to pick up his first MVP? Historically, winning has mattered in terms of MVP voting.
Oklahoma City has the sixth-best record in the NBA at 31-18, three games behind Kawhi’s Raptors, five games behind the Greek Freak’s Bucks, and three games ahead of Harden’s Rockets. Voters overlooked record when Westbrook won MVP in 2016-17, therefore they could do the same with Harden this season.
Prior to the start of the season, I predicted George would win the leagues most coveted award. Coincidently, the Thunder will face the Rockets in their final home game and the Bucks in their season finale. Both games could be meaningless or be vital for playoff seeding for all parties involved.
Role playing ‘others’ key to Thunder elite status. dark. Next
If the latter proves to be the case, the will MVP race will conclude with a photo finish. So long as the Thunder are victorious in their final two contests PG has an excellent chance to become Oklahoma City’s third MVP winner.