The Oklahoma City Thunder sorely missed the reliability of Kevin Durant alongside Russell Westbrook last season. One of the greatest scorers of his generation, Durant was almost a lock for close to 30 points in every game he played.

While not quite on Durant’s level, Sam Presti and the Thunder did get a lot of that stability back when they acquired Paul George over the summer, per ESPN's Royce Young.

“I don't know, there's something about him, to me, that's really just kind of like sturdy and stable,” Presti said of George back in September. “He's been in the league for a little while now, and he's seen a lot of things. I think he's got a nice confidence about him.”

Presti’s words from September have looked pretty prescient at present time. George has been arguably the most solid of the Thunder’s new “Big 3” thus far, as he’s averaging a team-high 22 points, with six rebounds and three assists per game.

George’s stability has been crucial for the Thunder in the early going, as Westbrook and Anthony have been a bit more erratic. But while George’s sturdiness is obviously a great thing for the Thunder, they’ll still need Westbrook to reach the superstar-caliber level he’s capable of reaching in order for OKC to become the true title contenders many expect them to be this season.