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OKC Thunder: With Russell Westbrook out, Paul George has stepped up

By Albert Dadson

PHOENIX, AZ - NOVEMBER 17: Paul George #13 of the Oklahoma City Thunder high fives teammates as he is introduced before the game against the Phoenix Suns on November 17, 2018 at Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Arizona. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images)
PHOENIX, AZ - NOVEMBER 17: Paul George #13 of the Oklahoma City Thunder high fives teammates as he is introduced before the game against the Phoenix Suns on November 17, 2018 at Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Arizona. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Without Russell Westbrook in the lineup, the OKC Thunder have found a way to win games — mostly because of Paul George.

The Oklahoma City Thunder are 10-5, tied for third in the Western Conference right now. That is after a 0-4 start at the beginning of the season. With Russell Westbrook out, Paul George has stepped up big time for the OKC Thunder.

Last season, George was again one of the best two-way players in the league. He averaged 21.9 points and 2.0 steals a game. The only other players to do so were Jimmy Butler and Victor Oladipo.

This year George has shown he has not lost a step. If anything, he is quietly establishing himself as the best two-way player in the league. He is currently averaging 24.1 points per game, which would be a career-best if it holds for the entire season.

He also leads the league in steals (tied with Chris Paul) at 2.5 per game. George has been efficient in recent games. Against the Phoenix Suns, he only shot 9-for-22 percent from the field, but he made all 11 of his free throws. Against the New York Knicks the game before, he was a tidier 13-for-22 from the field.

With Westbrook out over the last six games, the OKC Thunder are 5-1. This is after being 0-2 with him out of the lineup to start the season. While the teams the Thunder are beating are not the best of the best, this is a team that struggled to get these kinds of wins last season.

George has been a big part of that. He has led the team in scoring in every game that Westbrook has been out, except for the win against the Cleveland Cavaliers when Dennis Schroder scored 28 points.

(Photo by Zach Beeker/NBAE via Getty Images)
(Photo by Zach Beeker/NBAE via Getty Images) /

PG-13 has averaged 26.1 points and 2.5 steals per game in the six contests Westbrook missed. He has taken his game to the next level on both sides of the ball.

His best stat line in the six games was against the Houston Rockets, where he had 20 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and six steals.

OKC is not a team that will beat you by shooting the 3-ball. George has enjoyed some solid 3-point shooting games during this hot streak of play, helping this team pose some sort of threat when it comes to beating opponents from deep.

In the game against the Suns on Nov. 12, George shot 6-for-10 from beyond the arc. In the game against the Knicks, he made five of his 11 3s.

George has been able to play up to an MVP level while Westbrook has been out. Schroder has also helped make up for the loss of OKC’s star point guard by adding a second scoring threat.

The Thunder should be fine for the next couple of games without Westbrook with the way the team is playing right now, especially thanks to George. The biggest game will be a meeting with the Golden State Warriors on the day before Thanksgiving.

It’s not clear yet if Westbrook will be out, but if he is, the Thunder have already proven they can play with or without him. Even in the first game of the season without Russ, George had 27 points and OKC only lost by eight points.

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The Thunder have won games that they would’ve lost last year. This team is definitely better than they were last year, and Paul George stepping up on both ends has led that charge.

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