How His Heung-min and Paul George became the best players in their league

Atlanta rapper, Future, raps about a lot of things in the song & # 39;Krazy but true & # 39;, from his last album & # 39;Future Hndrxx presents: WIZRD& # 39; but strangely, the form of Son Heung-min and Paul George in the 2018/19 Premier League and NBA seasons, respectively, do not belong to it.

Which is odd, because the following statement is definitely both "crazy" and "true", though you may have to whisper it: Son and PG13 were the best players in their respective leagues until the next day. now this season.

It's also understandable, though. Because it was a slow unveiling. No coronation has been set nor any confetti has been launched. The process of elimination has been unobtrusive and very progressive, and the competition has not failed.

In both leagues, this competition took the form of two imposing rivals. In the English corner, we probably have Virgil van Dijk and Sergio Aguero. In the United States, we find Giannis Antetokounmpo and James Harden, who, fortunately, are much more rigid.

Son and George occupy the third places and, in your opinion, will get a rating of three to one. But here's why they deserve only the first place.

To say that a player is perfectly fit for the time that he lives is not a novel, nor even a clever thing to say, but that's quite true in the case of this unlikely pair. Before stating their similarities, however, it is necessary to paint a picture of their differences.

George is one of the top 10-15 players in the league since 2013, when he won the Most Improved Player Award, and was included in the Eastern Conference All-Star Team. as well as in the third team of NBA stars and NBA defense. Second team. 11 such recognitions – or better – followed.

His son has not been boasted the same way throughout his career. It was a signature of £ 22m. An instant hit, he was not. In fact, his first season with the Spurs was so unflattering that he begged Mauricio Pochettino to allow him to leave London for better opportunities.

In contrast, in George's years of training as a leader of the Indiana Pacers, a MVP was certainly not beyond the possibilities for a player with his potential. The kicker arrived during the 2014 off-season when, after being selected for the US National Team for the FIBA ​​World Cup, George suffered a fracture of the two lower bones of his right leg.

This medical evaluation essentially translates into one of the worst leg fractures you have ever seen. It's so disgusting that I will not even make the link for your health, but if you like that sort of thing, go for it.

In any case, as all sports fans know, such an injury can have a significant effect on the career and trajectory of a player. What seemed to be his ceiling before the incident seemed whimsical afterwards. Questions have been asked and even if, returning for the last six games of the 2014/15 season, George had his biggest statistical season to date in 2015/16, the parameters were different. He could never be the leader that his precocity had suggested.

He then moved to the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2017, after which he nested behind Russell Westbrook – who had just won the most individualistic victory in the history of the league – in the # 39, hierarchical order.

He was a Scottie Pippen now, not a Michael Jordan. Or, alternatively, it was Chris Sutton and not Alan Shearer; Daniel Sturridge, not Luis Suarez; Nicolas Anelka, not Didier Drogba. All good players as such, but unable to be number one, always banished to become the second (or third) best player of a team that wins the title.

Of course, such expectations have never even been considered for Son. He was a brilliant player at Bayer Leverkusen, capable of extraordinary at all times, but those moments were never linked. He was an ethereal player and adrift, not a tied player, a player to take on your back.

It goes without saying that George's first season followed this arc, which resulted in a minimal team success since OKC was beaten by Utah Jazz in the first round of play-offs with relative ignominy. PG13 was to honor his commitment to join the Los Angeles Lakers upon the arrival of his independent agency, after which he would retain his role as supernumerary superstar, from Kawhi Leonard (now Toronto Raptors) to LeBron James. (now said Lakers).

But that did not happen. Against all odds (slightly obscure) – because taking advantage of upcoming free-agent targets is a serious foul in the NBA, honestly – he stayed with Thunder. And this second season for George and the fourth for Son were transcendent. In both cases, this is due to inefficiency, or the direct absences of other people.

With Westbrook in the middle of a difficult year of shooting, it is up to George to carry the team. For Son, the coat was rendered thanks to the long-term injuries of Harry Kane and Dele Alli. Yes, he had been exceptional before that, but now he had to do it without his fashionable English duo.

As evidenced by his previous awards for his sense of defense, George's excellence is at both ends of the room. Yes, his crowning may have come in the impressive offensive performance against the Portland Trail Blazers, where he recorded a triple double, doubling 47 points, 12 rebounds, 10 badists and two interceptions, but he maintained his defensive balance.

After this match, Portland shooting goalkeeper Evan Turner, quoted by ESPN, exulted: "Everyone goes crazy for Giannis [Antetokounmpo] and James [Harden]. All the people I've probably faced – and no disrespect to the other teams, they are unbelievable – Paul is the best against which we have probably faced each other all year.