Paul George has yet to see the hardwood in an Oklahoma City Thunder jersey, but even if he hasn't, the responsibility to make this team as good as it could be still falls partly on his shoulders.
The All-Star forward played a role in getting Carmelo Anthony to open up his no-trade clause for the Thunder and also drop his $8.1 million trade-kicker to come join him and Russell Westbrook — forming a three-headed monster that will prove a tough match for Western Conference foes.
“I mean, I am a Thunder. I'm a Thunder,” George told reporters Wednesday, according to Brett Dawson of The Oklahoman. “My job is to make this team as good as possible, elevate this team as much as possible. Whatever I can do I will do, and that's whether I'm on the court or off the court. My job is to try to make things happen.”
George also took on the chance to woo Dwyane Wade, who was coming off a buyout with the Bulls and ultimately signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday. The 6-foot-9 forward said he'd call, text, or slip in his DMs to convince him to join this team, putting on his recruiter hat before the start of the preseason.
“Honestly, in this league, it's hard to do it alone,” George said at Thunder Media Day on Monday. “You know, Russ averages a triple-double (last season) and he couldn't get out of the first round.”
After a monumental triple-double season, Westbrook has welcomed George and Anthony with open arms, hopeful that the trio can achieve a lot more than what he was able to in 2016-17.
“Russ has opened his arms completely to where myself, Melo feel very comfortable,” George said. “It's not our job to try to outshine one another. We're gonna do this thing, we got to do it together.”
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