Oklahoma City swingman Paul George has been dealing with a sore right shoulder since the end of the regular season. Some experts feel the ailment may have affected his performance in the playoffs, as the Thunder were sent home in five games.
Following OKC's loss in Game 5, George noted that he will address his shoulder injury over the summer. Though he isn't sure if it will require surgery, he plans to come back fully recovered for next season:
Paul George on his shoulder said he’ll “address it this summer and come back next season healthy.” Wouldn’t say if surgery was in the plans or not.
— Royce Young (@royceyoung) April 24, 2019
Despite the fact that his status was still up in the air at the beginning of Oklahoma City's series with Portland, George managed to play in all five games, recording averages of 28.6 points on 43.6 percent shooting, 8.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.4 steals in 40.8 minutes per contest.
In Tuesday night's Game 5 matchup, George hit 14 of his 20 shots from the field (three 3-pointers and 5-of-8 from the free-throw line) for 36 points. He also had nine rebounds and three assists. However, Damian Lillard's long 3 at the buzzer sent the Thunder home for the summer.
George injured his right shoulder in the third game after the All-Star break, a matchup against the Denver Nuggets. He was subsequently sidelined for three games due to what the Thunder called “soreness.” OKC went 1-2 over that stretch. Just a few games later, George injured his left shoulder. He didn't miss any time because of it, but he had to be monitored by the the team's training staff during games.
Now that Oklahoma City's season is over, George will have a fair amount of time to heal. Hopefully, he'll be back in top shape sooner rather than later.
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