Oklahoma City Thunder forward Paul George made his season debut on Tuesday night against the Golden State Warriors, a phrase many in OKC did not expect would happen after his reiterated desire to come back home to his native Los Angeles.
George had a change of heart and returned in a glorious way, being the guest of honor in an exuberant party thrown by franchise star Russell Westbrook before details leaked of his four-year, $137 million agreement to remain with the Thunder.
With that decision out of the way, George has felt more comfortable approaching this season with no uncertainty surrounding his status any longer.
“Coming into this year, there were no distractions, no outside talk, no ‘am I here, am I going, am I going to LA.’ This year is focused on what we're going to do as a unit,” said Paul George, according to ESPN's Royce Young.
George's season debut brought mixed feelings, struggling to get clean looks in the first half, but coming back re-focused in the third quarter, dropping 16 of his team-high 27 points in a span of five minutes.
The focus should continue once Westbrook returns from injury, after the point guard underwent his fourth right knee surgery (arthroscopy) since 2013 — now devoid of outside distractions or the need to make life work for Carmelo Anthony.
The front office had bid hard for a Westbrook/George duo and they're about to get it this season with better complementary pieces around them, hoping to make a dent in a brutal Western Conference. Nevertheless, a big season from Paul George likely awaits.
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