This is a Career Defining Season for Westbrook, George
Why this is a career defining season for Thunder stars?
There is no denying the greatness of Thunder duo Russell Westbrook and Paul George. Westbrook is going on to average a third consecutive triple-double while George is having a career-year in scoring at 27-ppg. But this year, this post-season specifically, will tell us a lot as this could be a career defining season for them.
Last night was an exciting matchup between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs. In a back and forth contest that needed double OTs, the Spurs escaped with a 154-147 win over their Western Conference foe. But what was a career-high in scoring for LaMarcus Aldridge with 56-points was overshadowed by a big triple-double from Westbrook who finished with 24p/13r/24a. George finished with 30 points but picked up a costly technical foul in the 2nd OT that helped the Spurs regain their lead in the wining moments of the game. An underlying storyline in this game was Westbrook making better decisions with the ball, but what also spoke to me was the lack of confidence in his shot during this shooting slump he’s on. He was scoreless in both OTs and ended the game going 1-for-8 from the field in his last nine shots.
The Thunder are in the midst of a good season, currently sitting at 3rd in the Wild West. They have been an exciting surprise, exceeding many NBA analyst predictions for the team. However, we all know it’s going to be their post-season run that defines this team. Right now, they’re on a three-game losing streak which is crucial in the West as they’re only 2.5 games back from the 8thseed Los Angeles Lakers. This has been the most wide-open the West has been for a route to the Finals as the Golden State Warriors have shown some vulnerability. The 1st place Denver Nuggets has shown promise for the young team, but experts sees the Thunder as a serious contender for the throne this season. It will be the play of the Thunder duo that steers this team come April, May, and possibly June.
Last post-season, the first for Westbrook and George together, the team fell at the hands of the Utah Jazz in a surprising upset. They both had an up-and-down series with poor shooting nights that proved costly for the Thunder advancing. Westbrook who average a triple-double the series had his series low in scoring with a pedestrian 14-points on .294% shooting from the field, .250% from outside and 8 TOs in Game 2 that swung advantage to the Jazz who took a 3-1 lead going into Game 5. George had his worst night in the series final, maybe his post-season career, scoring only 5-points, shooting 2-for-16 from the field, 0-for-6 from outside, and 6 TOs. Not a good start for the Thunder tandem as they tried to figure out their role on the new look team that was filled with storylines. This is the second consecutive season the two went out in the first round of the playoffs; George when he was back in Indy going against Bron and the Cleveland Cavaliers and Westbrook in a matchup of MVPs against his former Thunder teammate, James Harden and the Houston Rockets.
George came up short in his first round series in the 2017 Playoffs as his team lost 4 consecutive times in close games where George struggled in crunch time. The biggest loss coming Game 3 as his team blew a 28-point lead at home against Bron’s 41-points. Game 4, George struggled, shooting 5-for-21 from the field and only scoring 15 points as his team got swept. Westbrook on the other hand managed to get his team one win in his series but lost to a well-oiled team in the Rockets, even despite a 51-point night from the Thunder MVP. He turned the ball over and shot poorly all series, but that comes with having him on the team.
So why is this post-season important? This is the duo’s second season together and it looks like they figured things out. They got rid of Carmelo Anthony and picked up a valuable piece in Dennis Schröder. George has risen to the No. 1 option while Westbrook does his thing getting triple-doubles and they now got a legit big three with Steven Adams playing very good basketball. They’ve also become one of the best defensive teams in the NBA and lead the league in offensive rebounds. But as I mentioned before, Westbrook is in the midst of a bad shooting slump that has crept into his confidence shooting the ball which could prove bad for the team in the playoffs. George has played great, but his post-season play demands better, especially if we’re going to recognized him as a superstar in the game. Right now, if the playoffs started the Thunder would face the Spurs, which is no easy series for them and they could possible lose in the first round. There will be high expectations for this team to win a series, giving the talent of this team and the shift in the Western Conference. George (28 years old), who had an option of playing with LeBron in LA, chose to stay with OKC by signing a 4-year, $137 million contract while Westbrook (30) is in the midst of a 5-year contract extension. Both are surely in their primes, but if they don’t win now, then when? Laker will get better, the Nuggets and LA Clippers will look to improve, and the Warriors will likely re-tool their roster to compete for another championship. All while the Thunder has one of their better rosters in years with an identity, and two players under contract taking a lot of cap room. And as for the Westbrook and George’s legacies, while Westbrook will certainly have historic accolades in triple doubles, him and George will be known as two-star players that couldn’t win even with good rosters. A suggestive argument, but one that should be looked at when comparing the bests in the league.
The Thunder tandem has the cup in their hands if they want it bad enough, let’s see if they will come thru or have another failure season in their books.
