Paul George and Victor Oladipo were the two obvious headliners when the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers squared off. The two stars, who were traded for one another in the offseason, were able to go at one another on the court, with George getting the assignment of guarding Dipo for a good part of the game.
Oladipo gave props to the job George did on him defensively post-game, remarking that it was a completely new experience to go up against someone like him this season.
“I know he did a great job on me defensively. First time I've had a defender like that guard me since I've been on this team. Just trying to deny me. He's long, can move his feet. It's something new for me. I'll be ready if there's anybody else out there.”
George showed exactly why he’s considered one of the elite perimeter defenders in the game as he helped cool off a red-hot Oladipo, who was just 1-of-7 with two turnovers when guarded by George, per ESPN Stats & Info.
Oladipo finished with just 19 points on 9-of-26 shooting overall after coming into the game averaging 32 points on 54 percent shooting in his last five games.
With his size limitations, the 6-foot-4 Oladipo will likely encounter some problems whenever he comes across players with the size and length of George, who is 6-foot-9. But luckily for Dipo, there aren’t a lot of defenders much better than George around the league, and there's no shame in having a hard time against him.
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