With around 500 guests in attendance, the air in Russell Westbrook's home filled with LED lights, bumping music, and crazed partiers. Why? Paul George was back. And to welcome him back with open arms, his star teammate felt it was mandatory to celebrate in grand fashion. After a summer party like that, George was emboldened to project a successful future in OKC.
The 2017-18 season, PG13's first year in OKC blew up in smoke. So what? Let's party some more, train hard in the offseason, and get ready to do much better in 2019.
"Last year, they had traded for 'Melo [Carmelo Anthony], they had brought me in, and I kind of felt like we had a mission to win right away and I had to be special right away," he told The Athletic after inking a four-year extension to return to OKC . "Now this year I've got time. I'm here. There's time to learn. There's time to figure things out. There's a learning curve that I can go at my pace on, instead of coming here right away and wanting magic."
"Tell them the truth," Westbrook bawled in the vicinity as George explained to reporters why he returned to OKC . "Tell them I'm a bad teammate. That's what they want to hear." (h/t USA Today )
George's return was a reflection of Westbrook
Celebrating his teammate's return the way he did was enough evidence of his support. Westbrook, often the epicenter of "bad teammate" discussions, connected with No. 13 in ways he perhaps couldn't connect with Kevin Durant for nine seasons. It wasn't just how he embraced him off the court; the 2017 MVP made strides on the court that he hadn't made in the past, scaling back his aggressive attack in favor of featuring the former Indiana Pacers star more.
"It wasn't even about him going beyond and being extra (with his efforts)," Paul said . "It was about him being himself, him being genuine, him being authentic, him being real. Nothing about him is fake, and that's the people I want to be around, somebody who's going to tell it like it is, somebody who's going to push you, somebody who's going to encourage you, somebody who's going to motivate you, and vice versa."
"We didn't know each other [before being traded to OKC]," he added. "I actually connected with Russ my rookie year. He did a 'Why not?' basketball charity game. I went to it off of mutual friends that I knew and went there to support, and that was really my first time really knowing him.
"Up until then, when we'd play each other, it was a 'Hey. Hi. Bye. Yo, what's up [relationship].' It was never really like a 'What's good bro? What you doing tonight? What you doing later?' There was never really any relationship. It was kind of like our first time getting to know each other when we first got here."
Maybe his best season ever
George, who recently signed with the Philadelphia 76ers , embarks on the next and maybe final chapter of his probable Hall of Fame-bound career. The 34-year-old has been one of the league's most prolific offensive talents in his 14 seasons. As a nine-time All-Star twice as a member of the Thunder, he's been a model of consistency. But perhaps no season treated the star better than the 2018-19 campaign, when he elevated from All-Star to MVP-caliber.
"I'm in a good flow," he said after a Dec. 30 loss to the Dallas Mavericks . "I'm in a good rhythm. Again, just comfortable being here. The game is starting to come a little easier, because I'm not pressing. I'm just letting it come to me. And that's when I'm at my best, when I'm out there and I can just play. Just play myself into the game, and that's when I find my rhythm the easiest."
While the Thunder forward was already up to a career-high 26.6 points per contest 35 games into the season, his best was yet to come. In February, George underscored his MVP case with sparkling averages of 35.0 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 5.4 assists on 44% shooting overall and 39% from the 3-point line.
Had No. 13 not encountered problems with his shoulder late in the season, he would have made a resounding run at the league MVP, ultimately handed to 24-year-old Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks.
"I mean we are tied, maybe third seed, whatever, but the way he's playing consistent. The one thing I always continue to pride myself on is being consistent. And this year, in my opinion, P has been very consistent. To be able to do the same thing every night is not easy to do.
"It's something that I don't take for granted. I think a lot of people around the world that don't play basketball, that don't play sports, don't understand what it takes to be consistent and get your mind right every night to be able to do something, so for him to do that and stay on the path to do that, he's definitely the front runner for my MVP," Westbrook said. (h/t Bleacher Report )
Related: "All of a sudden they don't care for him, they don't want him" - Oscar Robertson sounds off on Russell Westbrook being unfairly treated in the NBA
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