OKC Thunder: Paul George playoff failure adds credence to Presti winning trade

Paul George doesn’t have the leadership gene

The loyal readers of Thunderous Intentions know I was never a big advocate for George. His talent is undeniable but he doesn’t possess leadership skills and his penchant for disappearing in ‘big games’ is well documented.

A recent Yahoo article by Chris Haynes verifies the leadership questions are warranted. Haynes details how the chemistry issues and personnel problems were evident throughout the season and came to a head during the Nuggets series when PG and Montrezl Harrell got into a fight during a timeout.

"The rapport simply wasn’t there for the Clippers, and it certainly wasn’t there in Game 2 when Montrezl Harrell and George got into a heated verbal exchange during a timeout… a struggling George had committed two careless turnovers in less than a minute. The second mishap was a half-court pass to Harrell, who was near the paint but surrounded by Murray and Michael Porter Jr. Harrell responded with something along the lines of, “You’re always right. Nobody can tell you nothing,” and expletives were uttered from both players, sources said. George eventually toned down his rhetoric, but a heated Harrell wasn’t having it."

In his first season with the Thunder, he delivered a similar lackluster performance against the Jazz in the closeout game of the series. PG shot 2 of 16 from the field, 0 of 6 from deep, had six turnovers, and collected five points.

In the same game, Russell Westbrook had a rough night as well taking too many shots (43) but with George shying away from the moment, it’s understandable why it was necessary. The Brodie finished with 46 points 10 rebounds, five assists, and two steals.

The diversity of the two players perhaps explains why it was so difficult to get on board the ‘Playoff P’ train but it was always easy to pull for Westbrook. Sure, Russ might drive some fans crazy but his heart, passion, and leadership are unquestionable.