Ex-Thunder Star Paul George Opens up About Injuries Sustained While in OKC
During a recent episode of Podcast P with Paul George, the former Thunder star forward discussed the injuries he dealt with during his time in Oklahoma City.
George's two seasons with the Thunder featured what is likely the greatest season of his career, where he averaged 28 points per game and finished top-three in MVP voting.
His career in OKC ended in disappointment however, after the Damian Lillard-led Portland Trail Blazers ended the Thunder's season in just five games. George dealt with an intense shoulder injury that affected his shooting form greatly, resulting in a large dip in his shooting percentage in the playoffs. He would undergo surgery to fix a partially torn tendon and later to repair a partial tear of his left labrum.
Even before that, George even dealt with injuries against the Utah Jazz in 2018.
"The year in Oklahoma — and people try to ridicule me like 'oh he didn't play well' — I had a partially torn meniscus. I was getting shot up to play in that s--t."
George detailed that he felt great heading into the series as the medicine he was taking kicked in, but as the series went on the medicine started to wear off and it became difficult for the forward to move at 100 percent.
On the Portland series, George mentioned that the shoulder injuries prevented him from even touching a basketball before the series began.
"The last three or four games I didn't play in the regular season because I couldn't raise my arms.
"And then, playoffs start, game one [was] the first time I touched a basketball."
Injuries are apart of the game, and while fans want their favorite players to play through them, sometimes it can put players at risk of worsening the injury. George did as much as he possibly could to be on the court and help his team win playoff games, but he couldn't be his complete self with the amount of pain and stiffness he was dealing with.
Oklahoma City dealt with another injury situation with former No. 2 pick Chet Holmgren, who missed all of the 2022-23 season due to a Lisfranc injury to his right foot.
Close to every Thunder fan was excited to see the 7-foot-1 forward play alongside Shai-Gilgeous Alexander and Josh Giddey last season, but the injury Holmgren sustained would take him out for several months and rushing his return could have risked even further damage.
Outside of Holmgren, Oklahoma City also had several players suffer from injuries last season, ranking as the No. 6 most injured team in the NBA by total games missed.
Paul George's injury history with the Thunder may have provided the team with a better blueprint for managing injuries, with more of the focus on the player's health rather than trying to get them back on the court as soon as possible.
Next season, the Thunder will hopefully not be plagued with the injury bug as much, so we can see the team perform at its highest strength.
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