OKC Thunder at the break: The good, the bad, and the ugly
MVPG
Without a doubt, the story of the OKC Thunder season so far has been the emergence of Paul George as a legitimate MVP candidate. His dominant two-way play, highlighted by his frequent scoring outburst almost make you forget about a former Thunder MVP wing.
He’s second in the league in points per game (28.7) with an effective field-goal percentage of .546, both of which are career highs. Speaking of career highs, he’s averaging a personal best eight rebounds a game and league-leading 2.3 steals per game.
That’s not where George’s defensive prowess stops. He’s second in the league in total deflections and loose balls recovered. There’s a reason he’s being discussed not only as an MVP but also as a Defensive Player of the Year candidate. The Thunder defense is nearly 20 points worse when he’s off the court versus when he’s on. That speaks volumes.
Another area of George’s game that’s being overlooked is his improved ball security. He’s averaging just 3.4 turnovers per 100 possessions, the lowest mark since his second season in the league.
The only difference is his usage rate is ten points higher than it was during his second year. Last year, it felt like every game, he committed a couple of boneheaded turnovers, especially considering how loose of a ball handler he can be. Cutting those turnovers down just means more shots, and with the way PG has been firing lately, those shots are most likely going in.
Arguably the most eye-popping George related stat this year is how the Thunder have dominated the floor with Westbrook on the bench. In those lineups, OKC is outscoring teams by an average of 10.7 points per 100 possessions. What’s it like the other way around?
The OKC Thunder are being outscored by 7.5 points per 100 possessions in Westbrook-only lineups. This just goes to show that while Westbrook will always be the homegrown star and face of the franchise, the Thunder are officially Paul George’s team. Think of it as the 2011-14 Miami Heat with Wade and LeBron.
George has his work cut out for him if he wants to become the third MVP in franchise history. He’d most likely finish third behind Giannis and Harden if the vote was cast today. Both are above George in every major advanced statistic. plus Harden has a great narrative and statistical outburst, very similar to Westbrook when he won MVP two seasons ago. What would swing the odds in PG’s favor?
First, he has to keep up the scoring outburst, while also playing elite defense. From a team perspective, the OKC Thunder will surely need to stay as the three seed or even move up a spot, which again isn’t out of the question. He might also need Harden to cool off considerably or have and/or have the Bucks fall to the two seed in the East. Regardless, George has been a monster this season and should he keep this up, will garner First-Team All-NBA honors and a top-three MVP finish.