Oklahoma City Thunder: 2018-19 NBA season preview

Storyline 2: Paul George’s journey

One of the biggest surprises this summer was Paul George’s decision to re-sign with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Not only that, but the fact that he decided to make such a long-term commitment of four years.

The popular assumption was that George would join LeBron James in Los Angeles. George is originally from L.A., and last year even made public his desire to play for his hometown team. The fact that he re-signed with the Thunder as soon as free agency began and didn’t even test the waters shows he is loyal to OKC and has no qualms about playing alongside Westbrook. It also shows that he is not just looking for the path of least resistance to a championship.

George is on his own NBA journey, and he seems to have settled down and found something he likes in OKC.

In an interview with Ben Golliver of Sports Illustrated George says he “fell in love” with Oklahoma City and couldn’t stomach leaving his teammates behind after all they had been through over the course of the season. He went on to say that they “built a real brotherhood” and he “didn’t want to walk away from that.”

Those are kind words, but now it’s time to back them up. When the going gets tough and tensions run high is when we will see whether George regrets making a decision with his heart instead of his head.