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Paul George is just about to find out how it’s like to trudge on an 82-game NBA regular season schedule playing alongside Russell Westbrook, but it seems he’s already got an idea.
George was added to the mix of the Oklahoma City Thunder in the offseason via a trade with the Indiana Pacers. Right after the trade, people were quick to make it a topic how George will fit in the team and most importantly, perfectly co-exist with Westbrook, something Kevin Durant used to have a problem with back when he was still Westbrook’s running mate.
Asked about it on the Thunder’s media day, George sounded as though he’s either fully embraced reality or that he’s had a good session with his public relation officer prior to facing reporters.
“I knew Russ to an extent prior to this from both being SoCal guys, and you run across guys so many times and (have) interactions, All-Star weekends. But he's really a guy that has your back. He's really, like I say, a stand-up guy. To an extent, he's different from what I expected. I expected him to be who he was on the court, which is instant energy, instant – which he is, he's a fun guy. He's a jokester. But just…a guy that's he's just going to be all over you, drill sergeant attitude. But he's completely different man. He's a lovely dude.”
As evidenced by the many seasons Durant spent playing together with Westbrook, it takes some level of mental fortitude to handle basketball responsibilities with the reigning NBA MVP around. George hit the nail on the head by comparing Westbrook to a drill sergeant. After all, Westbrook played with pure energy and passion throughout his career in the NBA that a lot of times, rubs off on his teammates.
Westbrook demands excellence from his teammates as much as the ball, and George is just hoping that he’ll be able to weather all the challenges that come from being on the same team as Westbrook.
