When Paul George was eliminated from the playoffs following a 2-for-16 shooting and six-turnover performance, it felt like the end of his time with the Thunder was near. He and Russell Westbrook had moments on the court, but it never felt like they properly meshed together.
At least that’s how it looked on the outside. On the inside that couldn’t have been further from the truth. George walked away from that loss with a feeling that he had to come back and do more. He wanted another shot and he wanted to do it with Westbrook.
Why Westbrook of all people? Because George understands him. According to Sports Illustrated’s Rob Mahoney, Westbrook and George’s friendship an relationship on the floor was a big reason that George stayed in Oklahoma City.
After spending a season together, George began to appreciate not only the family atmosphere that the Thunder brought but the intensity with which Westbrook carries himself.
Yet when the time came to decide his future, George didn’t hesitate to sign up for four more years of the Russell Westbrook experience. “I understand him,” George says. A year before, he didn’t. Both Westbrook and George spend their offseason in Los Angeles, but George knew Westbrook only as a star, a competitor and the subject of chatter. “He was a mystery to me before I came here,” George said. “You just hear so much.”
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“Once you get an opportunity to hang, P can understand a little bit about me, and not just see me from a distance like everyone else,” Westbrook says. “He gets an opportunity to see who I am. What I’m about.”
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“If you’re playing against him, he’s not friendly,” George says. “He’s not gonna come up and talk to you. He’s not gonna say, ‘How was your night?’ He’s not gonna shake your hand after the game. That’s not Russ.”
Westbrook has gained a reputation the last couple seasons for not being the best teammate. With Kevin Durant leaving for Golden State to win rings and Victor Oladipo blossoming in Indiana, a narrative was beginning to grow that Westbrook’s style of play held his teammates back. He was grating and someone that stars wouldn’t want to team up with. George, however, went the opposite direction of that narrative. He passed on his plans to go home to Los Angeles in favor of small-town Oklahoma City. Westbrook was a big part of that.
Finding someone that understands Westbrook might be the biggest success for the Thunder since Durant’s departure. It’s one thing to just get a talented player next to him. Finding someone that understands the abrasive personality, the explosive play style, and wants to continue playing with him is far more difficult. Was the narrative around Westbrook overly harsh? Yes, but it wasn’t entirely wrong. Westbrook is hard to work with. Luckily, George has the perfect personality and play style to compliment both the positives and negatives of Westbrook. A perfect pairing.
