Paul George is the Thunders’s x-factor

By Shreyas Laddha

The Oklahoma City Thunder have stormed and stumbled their way to the playoffs as the 6th seed. There sky-high expectations of the Thunder during preseason, but these expectations were never fully met (at least in the regular season). The biggest x-factor and perhaps the most important player on the team is the reason why they even made the playoffs. No it’s not Russell Westbrook, but rather Paul George.

Paul George perfectly ecompasses the rocky road the Thunder have had this season. In wins, Paul George has shot 44.5 percent from the field vs in losses he has shot an abysmal 39.8 percent from the field. Pre all-star break, he was shooting 44.7 percent from the field, and he started shooting 38.6 percent from the field and a more horrific 32.4 percent from 3-point land after the all-star break. Much like Paul George, the Thunder hit a bit of slump with a worse record in the second half of the season.

With the injury of Andre Roberson, Paul George had to step it up on the defensive end. Paul George is a versatile defender that can guard shooting guards all the way to power forwards due to his heightened defensive responsibilities, his offense has worsened. The impact of Paul George cannot be understated.

How well Paul George plays will determine how far the Thunder will end up in the playoffs. If you see post all-star break Paul George, prepare for an early exit. If you see pre all-star break Paul George in the playoffs, the Thunder can become a very dangerous team filled with the ability to play spoiler to some very good teams.