George 'in a good rhythm' during 2nd season with Thunder

When Paul George was acquired by the Oklahoma City Thunder in June 2017, it was the first of two significant offseason moves for the club.

The Thunder later traded for Carmelo Anthony two days before training camp, and with the acquisition, George felt pressured to find immediate success.

"I kind of felt like we had a mission to win right away and I had to be special right away," George told The Athletic's Sam Amick. “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.”

George re-signed with the Thunder this past summer and feels more at home this season. He's averaging career highs in points (26.4), rebounds (8.2), and assists (4.2).

"I’m in a good flow," George said. “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.”

George has been just as impressive on the other end of the floor, anchoring one of the league's best defenses. The 28-year-old says he's a defensive-minded player and has challenged his teammates, including Russell Westbrook, to hone their defensive skills.

"I asked Russ at the start of this year if he had an All-Defensive team (selection) yet, and he said, ‘No,’" George said. "And of course, my answer to that was, ‘Why not?’"

George added: "I think (the defensive improvement is) Russ understanding and knowing what he has behind him has given him an aggression to play defensively. He’s just so gifted naturally, and he’s one of the best athletes this game has seen, so we’re a different team when he’s dialed in and he’s on another level defensively. There’s no team that can score on us."