Even though the Oklahoma City Thunder come into Saturday's game against the Philadelphia 76ers (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC/WatchESPN) as losers of five of their past six games, they remain eight games over .500, and there's still one big reason for optimism.
His name is Paul George.
After signing a massive new deal with the Thunder in the offseason, George is playing terrific basketball, earning every penny and re-establishing the Thunder as serious contenders in the Western Conference.
It all starts with defense. The Thunder have emerged as the best defense in the West thanks in large part to George, who enters tonight's game as the NBA's top Defensive Player of the Year candidate.