Following the addition of Paul George and Carmelo Anthony to the Oklahoma City Thunder during the offseason, the expectations on them immediately spiked. However, through eight games, the team could only manage a .500 record after their defeat against the Boston Celtics on Friday and are appear to be still finding their groove, especially now that they have three legitimate stars in their fold.
For George though, he is not worried about their slow start. He even said, via ESPN’s Royce Young, that struggling at this part of the campaign could be good for the Thunder, and remains optimistic that they’ll do well as the season progresses.
“It's good to struggle now, this is our first year together,” George said. “This is a long run, a long run, we'll be fine. We're starting to shoot it well, we're starting to find some rhythm, we're starting to figure out how to attack and be aggressive. It was just a rough night, like Melo. Melo makes some of the shots he's been making all season long, we'll be totally fine.”
The 27-year-old Fresno State product is also still adjusting to his role with the Thunder. While he's used to being the first option always in his days with the Indiana Pacers, that is not the case now, as he has to share the ball as well with Anthony and Russell Westbrook.
There may be a number of opportunities the Thunder needs to address first to turn around their fortunes, but the good news for them is all three of them are veterans and have a deep understanding of what it takes to win. They could rub their mentality to their teammates, and start stringing a few wins together. Should that happen, not only will they make George look like a genius, but they can also live up to the hype, and make a run for the title this season.
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