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Report: Thunder's Paul George Underwent Successful Surgery on Shoulder Injury
June 11, 2019
Oklahoma City Thunder swingman Paul George reportedly underwent successful surgery on his left shoulder.
Royce Young of ESPN.com reported the news Tuesday, noting the surgery was done to repair a torn labrum. He also pointed out George will be reassessed at the start of training camp with a timetable that "is the same [as] it was when he had surgery on his right shoulder a few weeks ago."
In May, Young and Adrian Wojnarowski reported George underwent rotator cuff surgery on his right shoulder to repair a partially torn tendon. He was expected to miss some of preseason training camp at the time.
Wojnarowski and Young noted the six-time All-Star suffered the right shoulder injury on Feb. 26 against the Denver Nuggets and played with the problem the rest of the season.
That was one reason the Thunder went from 38-21 and the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference at the time to 49-33 and the No. 6 seed with an 11-12 finish. George was averaging 28.7 points per game behind 45.1 percent shooting from the field and 40.3 percent shooting from deep before Feb. 26 and then averaged 26.1 points a night behind 39.7 percent shooting from the field and 33.8 percent shooting from deep after.
"Injuries are part of the game," he said at his season-ending news conference. "I've missed a season being hurt. ... The training staff assured me I was fine to play through it, and I will be fine going forward. I'd had no other thought in my mind but to be out there and play and ride it out with my guys."
Oklahoma City lost in five games in its first-round playoff series against the Portland Trail Blazers, and George shot an unspectacular 32.3 percent from deep even though he posted 28.6 points per game.
Ideally for the Thunder, George’s multiple shoulder surgeries this offseason can clear the path for a healthy 2019-20 campaign as they look to challenge the Golden State Warriors and others in the West.