There’s no indication that Paul George has decided what to do as a free agent this season but Brett Dawson of The Oklahoman writes that we’ve already seen a glimpse of what’s possible if he decides to stay with the Thunder and continue to suit up alongside Russell Westbrook.
The scribe writes that the forward’s decision to leave or stay with the Thunder will be seen, fairly or not, as a referendum on playing next to the club’s superstar. George himself lamented that it was a significant adjustment tweaking his game to complement Westbrook’s but the pair would occasionally fall in step and thrive.
George’s first season with the Thunder saw him touch the ball five fewer times per game and also hold possession for less. That’s not all that surprising given that he was necessarily obligated to play off the ball but it could play a role in the decision he makes heading forward.
There’s more out of the Northwest Division:
- Yes, Donovan Mitchell had an impressive rookie campaign, but plenty of other players had solid first years before plateauing. One particularly intriguing perspective that may reassure Jazz fans that they’re not witnessing the next O.J. Mayo is teammate Thabo Sefolosha‘s. “I was a teammate with Derrick Rose when he was a rookie, Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant when they were young in their first two seasons in OKC, and the talent level is right up there with those guys,” the 34-year-old told Eric Woodyard of The Deseret News.
- There’s no denying that Patrick Patterson is a sharp-shooting veteran presence for the Thunder, exactly what he was expected to be when he signed a three-year, $16MM deal last summer, but declining athleticism limited his ability to contribute off the bench in 2017/18, Berry Tramel of The Oklahoman writes.
- He may not win the Rookie of the Year award (according to our own staff) but ESPN’s Mike Schmitz believes that Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell has the highest future potential of any of this year’s rookies. Co-writer Kevin Pelton placed him No. 2 behind Ben Simmons but Schmitz raved about the Louisville product’s demonstrated ability to improve upon his weaknesses.
Mitchell is too short
But not as short as my patience for your irrelevant comments
Trading for Melo is gonna end up being OKC’s downfall.
If you think THATS the reason for our downfall, you don’t know OKC.
Melo will average 31.4 ppg next season and win the scoring title. He’ll collect 2457 points next season also.
Trading for George is probably gonna end up far worse for OKC.
I wonder if the same people pointing out that Mitchell may have plateaued in his rookie year are thinking the same thing about Ben Simmons? You have to keep in mind that O.J. Mayo was hyped just as much, if not more, than Simmons coming into college and maintained that hype into the league.
I think Simmons has, more than Mitchell. But Simmons is a good horse to ride through a long reg season.
Yeah, Donovan Mitchell is too short, just like AI. Oh, and Curry was too short to play the two, but not athletic or polished enough to play the point.
And yes, Melo will lead the league in PPG next year. D-Rose will take the Assist title, and Jose Calderon has the Steals leaderboard all wrapped up.
Donovan Mitchell will have a great career, but he is not a generational talent like Ben Simmons, though he will not plateau.
Best rookies of this year
1 – Ben Simmons
2 – Donovan Mitchell
3 – Lonzo Ball
4 – Lauri Markkanen
5 – John Collins
Although Jason Tatum doesn’t make it he is gonna be very good along all those guys, I think it was a very good crop of young guys, all are very good, but Ben Simmons is way ahead of all the others.
Like Kennard will be better than all of them.
Luke*
Ummm Ben Simmons had an extra red shirt year An still can’t do anything but pass an score on point guards bc he’s a 6’8 guard wit just vision an athleticism. He’s good but he is not the rookie of the year An if u swap him an Mitchell jazz wouldn’t be as good but the 76ers would’ve won more than one game against Boston.
Collins and Markkanen over Tatum and Kuzma? Um, sorry but you’re wrong.
Tatum has the most potential and then Simmons.