ATLANTA — He was the worst free-agent acquisition in franchise history. He was going to set the team back for several seasons. He was washed up and untradable.
That was the belief. Nine months later, perhaps it’s a good time to reexamine Paul George’s 76ers reality.
Hmmm.
Even as a 35-year-old forward, he’s the best ballhandler on the team.
He’s been a great complement to Tyrese Maxey, who has replaced Joel Embiid this season as the face of the franchise.
He can adequately guard the point guard, shooting guard, small forward, and power forward positions.
He had 23 points, six rebounds, and five assists Friday in a 115-105 victory over the Indiana Pacers at Xfinity Mobile Arena. And he finished with 35 points while making seven three-pointers Sunday in a 120-117 loss to the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena.
Washed up? No.
George is getting healthier, which is helping him regain the All-Star form he exhibited before signing a four-year, $211.5 million contract on July 6, 2024.
“I mean, prior to coming here, I was coming off one of my most efficient seasons,” George said of 2023-24, his final season with the Los Angeles Clippers. “All-Star that year. I didn’t see myself being washed up that fast, but I knew that this league is about what you can do now, and they tend to forget everything that I have done.
“So, it was a bit of motivation going into the summer to just get healthy and kind of let everything else take care of itself.”
Initially, there was a lot of hype surrounding George’s signing.
As the NBA’s top free-agent target that summer, his presence was encouraging for a Sixers franchise with championship aspirations.
The six-time All-NBA selection and four-time All-Defensive pick averaged 22.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.5 steals in 2023-24. He shot a career-best 41.3% on three-pointers.
Yet, George played in only 41 games last season as a Sixer, hampered by various injuries. His final contest of the season was on March 3 against the Minnesota Timberwolves. He was officially ruled out for the remainder of that season on March 17, the day he received injections in the left adductor muscle in his groin and left knee.
George was expected to return in time for training camp. However, the nine-time All-Star had arthroscopic left knee surgery on July 11. As a result, he missed all four exhibition games and the first 12 regular-season games.
George struggled to create separation and averaged just 16.2 points, the fourth-lowest average of his 16-year NBA career, in 2024-25. George also finished with a three-point percentage of 35.8%, the third-lowest of his career.
“Oh, my God. I mean, it was rough, man,” he said of last season. “It was brutal. And when you play for Philly, it’s brutal, man. I had an expectation coming into the year, and for me, me alone, like not even the noise outside and whatever people said, you know? It was just me, the expectation I had, and my first year playing with these guys, and the expectation they had of me.
“And it was just a lot that physically, I just couldn’t do, so, yeah, mentally, man, it broke me down. It was rough and hard times just because it was like, ‘Man, I know what I’m capable of, but my body’s just not allowing it.’ So it was a rough one last year.”
But George is finding his rhythm, and he’s improved in each game he’s played this season.
With Maxey sidelined with an illness, George excelled in a point-forward role in the Sixers’ last two games.
“Obviously, the 35 [points] is great,” coach Nick Nurse said of Sunday’s game. “The seven threes are amazing, all that stuff. But to me, I like the way he’s getting by people. He’s getting by people down in the paint. He’s holding off post-ups. He’s getting to spots. He’s getting clearance on a lot of things. That’s probably the most encouraging.
“Obviously, that’s awesome that he made a bunch of shots tonight. But he looks like he’s creating a lot of opportunities. And he’s also a pretty good passer when he gets down the lane, too.”
Sixers guard Quentin Grimes, who is having his own stellar season, echoed Nurse’s praise for George.
“That’s the PG we all know and love out there,” Grimes said after Sunday’s game. “Go out there and just play the game. He’s one of the best players in the league for a reason. So just go out there, seeing him getting back to full rhythm is great to see for us, for sure.”
George has also been impressive defensively in nine of the 10 games he has played. He’s been highly active while moving well laterally and displaying a physical presence. A lot of the physicality can be attributed to his 235-pound weight after adding 15 pounds of muscle to his 6-foot-8 frame.
George has been working on his body since his season concluded in March.
“I probably took off three weeks here and there,” he said. “So that was a lot of time for me to just work on my body. It was around the clock every day. Even on vacation, I’m lifting, I’m working out. Wherever I was at, I was working out. …
“I feel like it’s paying off. I feel stronger. My body has morphed, and it’s the reason why I think — although things are still coming back — I think it’s why I’m off to kind of a good start.”
He’s determined to spend more time contributing to the team’s success and making people forget about last season’s struggles and injuries.
“Last year,” George said, “was a lot going on.”
And George feels like he can be himself more now that he’s healthier. He’s not 100%, but he has looked more like himself than last season.
If he continues to excel, he’ll be remembered as Paul George, the elite basketball player. Not Paul George, the washed up player who made a cameo last season.
“So that’s the positive that I can take,” George said, “and everything else is with time. I’m just going to continue to get better.”
