As a shooter, Paul George was pretty close to the 50/40/90 club. He shot 46% from the field, 39% from 3, and 90% from the line. George took 133 shots with less than 4 seconds on the shot clock, which dragged down his percentages somewhat. In catch and shoot situations Paul George shot 43% with an actual field goal percentage of 58.6%.
As a playmaker, Paul George also excelled in how effective he was in the pick and roll. He scored 1.013 points per possession when he ran the pick and roll putting him in the 92 percentile of the league. He has great vision and is able to find teammates. He is difficult to defend because he is such a great shooter. The majority of his pick and rolls forced defenders to go over the pick.
In isolation, Paul George is somewhat efficient. He is aggressive and rarely settles for jumpers without first making a move. He likes to go left even though he is right handed. His midrange jump shot makes him difficult to stop. He is also a willing passer.
He should have no problem plugging into the Oklahoma City offense. The only real concern should be whether or not he will get enough opportunities. Russell Westbrook led the NBA in possessions. He had almost 400 possessions more than 2nd place James Harden. The biggest question is whether or not Westbrook will be willing to share primary scorer responsibilities with George or if he will pull a repeat of last year. The biggest hope for Oklahoma City is that Paul George can help the Thunder when Westbrook is not on the court. He should be a great number two option with Westbrook and then serve as a capable number one option when Westbrook needs to sit.
It will be interesting to see the players that Westbrook and George will be surrounded by. The Thunder have some choices to make in regards to Taj Gibson and Andre Roberson. There are two rotation guys that could help the Thunder defensively, but they will not be cheap. The Thunder have McDermott, a capable shooter that could help George and Westbrook spread the floor. He is weak defensively, but George can help cover those wings. Jerami Grant and Steven Adams should hold the other front court spots if they choose not to re-sign Gibson. A starting five of Westbrook, George, McDermott, Grant, and Adams is not bad. Oklahoma City will benefit from George’s playmaking giving other guys the chance to do more.
The Thunder are taking a big risk getting George because he has been vocal that he wants to play for the Lakers and after this season he can leave for nothing. It will be interesting to see what happens and if the Thunder can convince him to stay and re-sign.