After seven years with the Indiana Pacers, Paul George packed his bags this season for Oklahoma City. Let’s evaluate his performance in his first year wearing a Thunder jersey.
It was a year of change for Paul George in his first season with the Oklahoma City Thunder. For the first time in several years, he was forced to shift from a first option on offense to a second option playing alongside Russell Westbrook. George is a pretty ball-dominant player, so making this adjustment was no small task, especially when playing alongside yet another ball-dominant player in Carmelo Anthony.
All in all, it was a successful season for the longtime Indiana Pacers All-Star. PG-13 posted season averages of 21.9 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.7 steals per game while shooting 43 percent from the field and 82.2 percent from the free throw line.
These numbers are more or less in line with his career stats. He played 36.6 minutes per game (the second-most of career) and missed only three contests. George continues to look fully recovered after coming back from a gruesome leg injury in 2014.
The Big 3 experiment in Oklahoma City didn’t quite have the success that many had hoped, as the Thunder suffered a first round playoff exit at the hands of the Utah Jazz in six games. A team that initially imagined it would be counted among the greats in the Western Conference ended up instead looking at an early offseason. Many saw the writing on the wall as the Thunder struggled with ball movement all season and their lack of depth became painfully apparent.
Let’s take a closer look at Paul George’s performance in 2017-18 and what his impact was on a disappointing Thunder season.