As of right now, Giannis Antetokounmpo and James Harden are among the favorites to win the NBA MVP award in 2019. Both are having strong seasons for two of the top teams in the league. Others in the conversation include Kawhi Leonard, LeBron James and Stephen Curry. But there's another guy who deserves strong consideration, and that's Oklahoma City Thunder small forward Paul George.
George is currently in the midst of a career year. The ninth-year pro is averaging career highs in points (26.8), rebounds (8.0) and steals per game (2.2).
The five-time All-Star is also dishing out 3.9 assists per game while shooting 44.8 percent from the field, 38.4 percent from 3-point range and 82.5 percent from the free-throw line. Furthermore, he is making 3.4 3-pointers per contest, the third-highest mark in the NBA behind elite 3-point shooters Curry (5.0) and Harden (4.8).
The Thunder have certainly needed George's heroics this season, as the heart and soul of the team, Russell Westbrook, has struggled shooting the ball. He's averaging a triple-double for the third straight season, but is shooting just 42 percent from the field, 23.5 percent from 3 and 62.7 percent from the charity stripe. The 2017 MVP has never been the most efficient player, but those are eye-opening numbers even for him.
Oklahoma City has enjoyed quite the turnaround since beginning the season with four consecutive losses. The Thunder followed that up with seven straight victories and haven't looked back since. They presently hold the third spot in the Western Conference with a record of 25-15 that has them just 2.5 games behind the Denver Nuggets for the No. 1 seed.
George has been at the forefront of that success following a disappointing season for the Thunder a year ago. Despite finishing 48-34 and earning the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference, Oklahoma City failed to protect home court as it lost to the Utah Jazz in six games in the opening round of the playoffs.
This year, the Thunder are on pace to win 50 games for the first time in the post-Kevin Durant era. And with the Golden State Warriors looking more vulnerable than they have in several seasons, could Oklahoma City be the team to knock them off their pedestal?
That remains to be seen, but George absolutely has a great case to be the third Thunder player to be named MVP. He has scored 20 or more points in 32 of the 39 games he has played in this season, and has scored less than 17 on just one occasion (he was held to 11 points in a 111-107 loss to the Charlotte Hornets on Nov. 1).
Additionally, George has surpassed 30 points 14 times and 40 points on three occasions. His best performance of the season was a 47-point effort in a 114-112 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Dec. 5, a contest in which he also pulled down a season-high 15 rebounds as part of one of his 13 double-doubles of the campaign.
The Thunder are 11-3 when George scores 30 or more points. They are 3-0 when he scores at least 40 points. They are 12-4 when he makes at least 50 percent of his shots. That proves how important he is to their success, particularly during a down year for their other superstar.
The aforementioned Antetokounmpo, Harden, James and Curry are all having stellar seasons, as are numerous others. It's never easy to choose who stands out above the rest because there are so many different statistics people can throw out there. But George is playing as well as anyone this season, and he's playing better than he has ever played in his career, which is saying something for a guy who has been an elite player for many years.
George has been selected to the All-NBA Third Team four times, including last season. He's a three-time member of the NBA All-Defensive Team (one First Team selection and two Second Team selections) and a former NBA Most Improved Player.
And right now, the 28-year-old is well on his way to adding an MVP trophy to his collection.
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