PORTLAND, OR - APRIL 23: Paul George #13 of the Oklahoma City Thunder looks on against the Portland ... [+]
Paul George had arguably the best year of his career in the 2018-19 season. In the first year of his brand new contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder, he was one of the best players in the entire NBA all season long.
Just 29 years old and still in his prime, George is a top-three finalist for both NBA Most Valuable Player and NBA Defensive Player of the Year. The winner for both awards as well as several others will be announced early next week. George produced an outstanding 28.0 points per game, a career-high.
George’s best scoring season prior to the 2018-19 season was only 23.7 points per game. Behind only James Harden, Paul George was second in the entire league in both points per game and total points. When it came down to it, he was the best offensive player on the entire Oklahoma City roster.
Paul George did more than just lead the team’s scoring charge, as he also grabbed 8.2 rebounds per game as well as dished out 4.1 assists per game.
George was extremely effective from deep, knocking down 38.6 percent of his 9.8 3-point attempts per game. His 292 made 3-pointers during the regular season were good for third most in the entire NBA, behind only James Harden and Steph Curry. Prior to last season, George’s career-high in made 3-point shots was only 244.
Paul George had the 20th highest Player Efficiency Rating (PER) in the entire NBA last season. In the 2018-19 season, George played 91 percent of his minutes as small forward and the remaining nine percent at power forward. His versatility on both ends of the floor was extremely useful. He even has the ball handling ability to play shooting guard if he had to.
Not only was George one of the NBA’s best offensive players in the NBA last season, but also one of the elite defenders. He produced a career high 2.2 steals per game, which also led the NBA. George was fifth in the entire NBA in Defensive Win Shares with 4.9. His defensive rating of 104.6 was 12th in the entire league as well.
Although he has somewhat of an injury history, Paul George was healthy for the majority of the regular season. He appeared in 77 regular season games, missing only five contests the entire year.
However, late in the season and into the playoffs, George had issues with both of his shoulders. After sitting out the final game of the regular season to rest them, it was time for the playoffs.
In the first game of Oklahoma City’s first round series against the Portland Trail Blazers, George looked extremely rusty, shooting 8-for-24 from the floor. Following the game in his post game interview, George admitted that just four days prior he couldn't even lift his arm. He mentioned that before that game, he hadn't shot a basketball in almost a week.
From there, George for the most part got his rhythm back, outside of an 18.8 percent shooting night in Oklahoma City’s first home game of the series. Fighting through nagging shoulder injuries, he was still able to carry a large load on the offensive end.
Overall in the 2019 NBA Playoffs, Paul George averaged 28.6 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game. At first glance, these numbers are on par with his regular season stats. His 3-point shooting percentage, however, was what was troublesome. George shot 31.9 percent from deep, 6.7 percent lower than in the regular season. While this might not seem like a massive problem, when you shoot 9.4 attempts from 3-point range per game, that drop off adds up.
Despite his lingering injuries, Paul George played in all five of Oklahoma City’s playoff games. On June 11, ESPN's Royce Young reported that George had undergone successful surgery on a labrum tear in his left shoulder. This surgery came just a few weeks after successful surgery on his right shoulder.
George signed a four-year, $137 million extension with the Thunder around this time last offseason. He is set to make right around $33 million in the 2019-20 season. The Oklahoma City Thunder will will have two more guaranteed years with George on roster prior to his player option in 2021-22 season.
According to data Forbes’ Brett Knight compiled for his lists of the NBA’s most overpaid and underpaid players, Paul George was actually underpaid last season. Knight adapted a methodology created by Southern Utah University economist David Berri, estimating the value of a win and multiplying that figure by an estimate of how many wins a player produced to determine what that player’s salary should be. To determine the number of wins a player generated, Knight averaged each player’s figures for Wins Produced, Win Shares and an estimate based on Value Over Replacement Player.
According to this data, Paul George’s production in the regular season was worth $40,306,677 which is $9,745,977 more than the $30,560,700 he made.
Paul George was the best player on the Oklahoma City Thunder last season, hence being a finalist for both 2018-19 NBA Most Valuable Player and NBA Defensive Player of the Year. For a player of his caliber, this offseason should be focused around getting healthy and prepared for next season, rather than developing his game. Overall, George exceeded expectations and was one of the best players in the entire NBA last season.
