Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George believes the current Oklahoma City Thunder, led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, are the most cohesive unit the franchise has ever had—even more than the team once built around Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden.
Speaking on Podcast P, a Wave Original, George, who spent two seasons in Oklahoma City and played alongside Gilgeous-Alexander with the Clippers, said the 2024-25 Thunder are “a well better put together team” than the 2012 squad that reached the NBA Finals.
“From a team [perspective], yeah. Talent no,” George said, before explaining how the Thunder’s current stars complement each other better than the Durant-Westbrook-Harden core.
He pointed to how role clarity sets today’s Thunder apart.
“Everybody know they gotta play [a role]. The difference is Russ knew what his potential was… KD knew who he wanted to be. James… all of them wanted to be the man,” George explained.
“But now in Oklahoma, they know who the man is. Shai is the guy.”
George emphasized how Gilgeous-Alexander’s leadership has allowed others to flourish.
“He’s like, ‘I’m going to let you eat J Dub. I’m going to let you eat Cason Wallace, I’m going to let you eat Chet, I’m going to let you eat Hartenstein.’ They don’t mind letting each other shine,” George added.
The Thunder’s selfless approach was on display in their dominant 114-88 win over the Timberwolves in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals.
Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points, including 20 in the second half, as Oklahoma City outscored Minnesota 70-40 after intermission.
Jalen Williams added 19 points and eight rebounds, while Chet Holmgren chipped in 15 points and a highlight-reel dunk.
Isaiah Hartenstein and Kenrich Williams combined for 17 off the bench, and the Thunder shot 50 percent from the field while holding Minnesota to 34.9 percent.
Oklahoma City led the NBA with a 68-14 record during the regular season and finished with the best point differential in league history.
Gilgeous-Alexander was recently awarded the 2024-25 NBA MVP after averaging 32.7 points, 6.4 assists, and 1.72 steals per game.
He became the first player since James Harden in 2018-19 to lead the league in games with 20, 30, 40, and 50 points.
George said the Thunder’s blend of unselfishness and defensive commitment makes them “hard to beat.”
“At the end of the day… we going to lock up and we going to have each other’s back and they play fast,” he said.
Game 2 between the Thunder and Timberwolves is set for Thursday night in Oklahoma City.
