Throughout the duration of the season, the name of Paul George continuously dropped from the mouths of talking heads around the nation. Extending well beyond those conversations, the forward also cemented himself as a defensive player of the year candidate. One of the most dominant two way players in the NBA, the Oklahoma City Thunder consistently relied on George to shoulder a majority of the responsibility up until the All-Star Break.

However, George has missed three of six contests due to an injury since the break. Over that span, OKC compiled an unimpressive 2-4 record while fans clamored for the return of the 6’7″ star. Progressing with a bit of soreness, George remains a game time decision against the Minnesota Timberwolves tonight.

Thunder coach Billy Donovan said Paul George (right shoulder soreness) is progressing, but no determination has been made about tonight in Minnesota. George will be re-evaluated later today.

Before San Antonio, George was ruled out at shootaround, so re-evaluation = progress.

— Erik Horne (@ErikHorneOK) March 5, 2019

It’s only a matter of time until a decision must be made regarding the status of George. Assuming the Thunder forge on without their star on the floor, Billy Donovan will once again be tasked with finding 28.6 points while utilizing a rotation of Jerami Grant and Abdel Nader at the SF position. Can it be done? Absolutely but it’s not an easy task.

Here’s to hoping the coach solves the riddle leading to a win as the Thunder and Timberwolves collide on the hardwood.