Paul George and the OKC Thunder have been clicking on all cylinders lately, setting a franchise record for the best offensive month in January.
If the OKC Thunder made a new year’s resolution to play better offensively, they’ve certainly been making good on it. With Paul George leading the way, Oklahoma City set a team record with the best offensive output in a month during January.
January was the best offensive month in Thunder history, averaging 120.6 points per game and 44.1 made field goals per game.
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) February 3, 2019
Quality Fact brewed by @budweiserusa. pic.twitter.com/a6o2g9XT0L
Of course, you can’t talk about how good the Thunder have been recently without first talking about George. His near 30 points per game in the month of January is just apart of what he’s been able to do throughout the season. Among players who average over 25 minutes a game, George is also fourth in defensive rating (101.4), 12th in Player Impact Estimate (16.7) and 20th in usage rating (28.2).
Beyond George’s excellence, it’s guys like Terrance Ferguson who have helped the team by improving his outside shooting. Ferguson increased his 3-point shooting percentage from 39% in November to 49.5 percent in January.
Paul George is averaging .200 WS/48 and a 5.4 Box Plus/Minus, both of which are career highs https://t.co/bv0PXmkbCg
— Basketball Reference (@bball_ref) January 21, 2019
Westbrook drives OKC’s offense
Despite what many media members tell you, Russell Westbrook is still a key part of the Thunder’s offensive success. While the Brodie has struggled to find a rhythm shooting the rock, Russ is on track to average a triple-double for the third straight season.
His relentless energy and tenacity continue to drive Oklahoma City, especially when OKC is trailing. A perfect example of this is Sunday’s loss to the Boston Celtics.
The Thunder were trailing for a majority of the game, but with the game on the line, a turnover by Russ ended the game. The media will point to that one moment when Westbrook lost the ball, but without his hustle throughout, the Thunder wouldn’t have been in a position to win.
Criticism of Westbrook is to be expected and in all honesty, it fits the nature of the team. Most
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knowledgeable fans regard the Thunder as a playoff team, but few consider them to be contenders. At the end of the day, it’s hard to argue against winning, and Westbrook has been doing a lot of it his entire career.
Regardless of the loss, the Thunder still won seven consecutive before Sunday. They’re on pace to finish high in the West and make another deep playoff run with George making a case for MVP.
The Thunder finished an epic January with a 10-5 record to move to a 33-19 record.
If you didn’t believe in the Thunder before, the time to change your mind is now.