It’s been a historical season for OKC Thunder star Paul George. With 54 games in the books, T.I. ranks PG’s top-five MVP case enhancing performances.
What else can be said about Paul George that hasn’t already been talked about through the first half of the season? OKC Thunder fans and even the rest of the league can’t get enough of him lately, and for good reason. George has played his way into the MVP conversation by lifting the Thunder to third in the West and doesn’t look to be slowing down anytime soon.
Coming into the season, I would have to imagine George knew what he had gotten himself into. He surprised us all by signing a long-term contract to stay instead of leaving for Los Angeles after some convincing from Russell Westbrook, who was expected to miss some time after impromptu knee surgery.
Paul George has a PER of 24.7 and a STL% of 3.0 this season. He's the first non-point guard to do that in a season since D-Wade in 08-09 https://t.co/gy0xQLZLyZ pic.twitter.com/8sKxmYuaAf
— Basketball Reference (@bball_ref) February 4, 2019
Westbrook’s time set the stage for George to take complete control. And while the Thunder stumbled out of the gate, it didn’t take long for George to right the ship. After four consecutive losses to begin the season, the Thunder won their next seven games and haven’t looked back.
In my opinion, Westbrook sitting out to begin the season was a blessing in disguise for a couple of reasons. First of all, it showed Westbrook he doesn’t have to carry the load himself anymore in order for the team to be successful. It also undoubtedly boosted the confidence of George and the rest of the team, proving that if they can win without Westbrook, they can hang with anyone fully healthy. And being able to run that experiment at the beginning of the season with the pressure at its lowest was an added plus.
Today, we’re seeing a side of Westbrook we’ve never seen in the past. For the first time, he’s taking a backseat and deferring to George and other teammates, while bringing out his explosiveness when he feels the team needs it. At the same time, George is playing with the ultra-green light, knowing he has the full support of his teammates make or miss.
All of this has added up to the perfect storm for George. He’s really in a perfect situation with the right teammates who all support his game. Westbrook is an added superstar ready to take over when needed and other players like Steven Adams, Nerlens Noel, and Jerami Grant have his back defensively. But even though everyone is there to support George, it’s still up to him to put the ball in the basket. And that’s’ something he’s been doing a lot of.
With 54 games in the books, here are George’s top-five games to this point.