The Thunder have seen a number of All-Star caliber players pass through the franchise since moving to Oklahoma City in 2008, and a forgotten one might be Paul George.
George only spent two seasons with the Thunder and didn't come particularly close to putting the franchise in championship contention, but those two years also happened to be one of the best stretches of his great career.
Long-term, the biggest ramifications of George's Thunder tenure might be the fact his trade to the Clippers brought back Shai Gilegous-Alexander — but his stint with the team is still enough to place him among some of the best players to put on an Oklahoma City uniform.
Here's a look at where George ranks among Sporting News' nine greatest Thunder players of all time.
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Where does Paul George rank among Thunder legends?
Note: Only players who played for the Thunder after the move to Oklahoma City are considered.
George ranks No. 5 on Sporting News' list of the nine greatest players in Thunder history.
The Thunder have a well-defined top three players in franchise history in MVPs Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. After that trio, a number of players could have a claim to be No. 4.
George's 2018-19 season was likely the best in Thunder history from a player outside of that trio, but his lack of longevity in Oklahoma City hurts his case. Serge Ibaka, ranked No. 4, was never the same caliber of player George was, but he spent five more seasons with the Thunder than George and didn't ask to be traded in his prime.
Ibaka was also part of four Western Conference finals appearances and helped the Thunder reach the NBA Finals in 2012. George never won a playoff series with the Thunder, but it's also hard to pin that on him with how well he played over his two seasons in Oklahoma City. George's accolades from his brief time with the Thunder keep him firmly in that next tier behind Durant, Westbrook and Gilgeous-Alexander.
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Paul George career milestones and achievements
Here's a complete breakdown of George's achievements with the Thunder.
All-Star appearances with Thunder
- 2017-18 NBA All-Star
- 2018-19 NBA All-Star
George was an All-Star in each of his two seasons with the Thunder, representing two of his nine career All-Star selections.
All-NBA selections
- 2017-18: All-NBA Third Team
- 2018-19: All-NBA First Team
George earned All-NBA selections in both seasons with the Thunder, including his only career First Team selection in 2018-19. It's hard not to label the 2018-19 season the best of George's career, as he easily set a career-high in points per game and was a finalist for both MVP and Defensive Player of the Year.
MORE: Where does Paul George rank among 11 greatest Pacers?
Award voting
- 3rd in MVP voting (2018-19)
- 4th in Defensive Player of the Year voting (2017-18)
- 3rd in Defensive Player of the Year voting (2018-19)
George became an MVP finalist for the only time in his career after his terrific 2018-19 season, also finishing top-five in Defensive Player of the Year voting in each of his two seasons with the Thunder.
Playoff appearances
- 2017-18: Lost in first round
- 2018-19: Lost in first round
George never won a playoff series with the Thunder, as Oklahoma City came up short against the Jazz as the No. 4 seed in 2018 and fell to Damian Lillard and the Trail Blazers a year later.
Milestones
- 3,893 points with Thunder
- Thunder single-season 3-point leader
- NBA steals per game leader (2018-19)
It was tough for George to accumulate meaningful milestones in only two seasons with the Thunder, but he still scored just under 4,000 points and set the franchise's single-season 3-point record. George also led the NBA in steals per game with 2.2 in 2018-19.
MORE: Breaking down Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's place in Thunder history
Paul George career stats
George averaged a career-high 28.0 points per game in his final season with the Thunder, also leading the NBA in steals with 2.2 per game. His stint with the Thunder was part of a stretch of nine consecutive seasons averaging at least 20 points per game.
| Season | Team | Games | PPG | RPG | APG | SPG | FG% | 3-pt% |
| 2010-11 | Pacers | 61 | 7.8 | 3.7 | 1.1 | 1.0 | 45.3% | 29.7% |
| 2011-12 | Pacers | 66 | 12.1 | 5.6 | 2.4 | 1.6 | 44.0% | 38.5% |
| 2012-13 | Pacers | 79 | 17.4 | 7.6 | 4.1 | 1.8 | 41.9% | 36.2% |
| 2013-14 | Pacers | 80 | 21.7 | 6.8 | 3.5 | 1.9 | 42.4% | 36.4% |
| 2014-15 | Pacers | 6 | 8.8 | 3.7 | 1.0 | 0.8 | 36.7% | 40.9% |
| 2015-16 | Pacers | 81 | 23.1 | 7.0 | 4.1 | 1.9 | 41.8% | 37.1% |
| 2016-17 | Pacers | 75 | 23.7 | 6.6 | 3.3 | 1.6 | 46.1% | 39.3% |
| 2017-18 | Thunder | 79 | 21.9 | 5.7 | 3.3 | 2.0 | 43.0% | 40.1% |
| 2018-19 | Thunder | 77 | 28.0 | 8.2 | 4.1 | 2.2 | 43.8% | 38.6% |
| 2019-20 | Clippers | 48 | 21.5 | 5.7 | 3.9 | 1.4 | 43.9% | 41.2% |
| 2020-21 | Clippers | 54 | 23.3 | 6.6 | 5.2 | 1.1 | 46.7% | 41.1% |
| 2021-22 | Clippers | 31 | 24.3 | 6.9 | 5.7 | 2.2 | 42.1% | 35.4% |
| 2022-23 | Clippers | 56 | 23.8 | 6.1 | 5.1 | 1.5 | 45.7% | 37.1% |
| 2023-24 | Clippers | 74 | 22.6 | 5.2 | 3.5 | 1.5 | 47.1% | 41.3% |
| 2024-25 | 76ers | 41 | 16.2 | 5.3 | 4.3 | 1.8 | 43.0% | 35.8% |
| Career | 908 | 20.6 | 6.3 | 3.7 | 1.7 | 44.0% | 38.3% |
MORE: Ranking the top 11 players in Pacers history
Will Paul George be in the Hall of Fame?
George still has a little while to go before he needs to start thinking about the Hall of Fame, but he has a compelling case. The Basketball Hall of Fame is known to be somewhat lenient, at least compared to other Hall of Fames, and nine All-Star appearances is often enough to push a player in.
A third-place MVP finish and First-Team All-NBA selection with the Thunder could certainly be a factor in George landing in the Hall of Fame.
George has been to the playoffs plenty of times but has never come particularly close to a championship, which could hurt his case, but he's on track to score more than 20,000 career points in addition to a strong defensive record. A healthier, strong finish to George's career could go a long way toward solidifying his Hall of Fame resume.
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Paul George best highlights
George's dominant 2018-19 season included a 25-point fourth quarter against the Nets in December. He finished the night with 47 points and 15 rebounds.
George stuffed the stat sheet with 43 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists in a regular season game against the Kings:
After Jimmy Butler scored off a turnover to put the 76ers in front, George drilled a huge go-ahead shot to sink Philadelphia in this regular season contest:
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