Paul George and Joel Embiid have only played two games together this season. So, following the 76ers’ optional practice on Wednesday, George was asked what the next step was for the pairing.
“Just keep at it,” he said. “Keep getting opportunities on the floor together. Keep presenting healthy, and everything else just kind of roll it out once we get on the floor and continue to keep logging minutes.”
Neither player shot the ball well during Sunday’s 112-108 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers at the Xfinity Mobile Arena.
George made 3 of 8 shots — including going 1-for-3 on three-pointers — to finish with 12 points along with six rebounds, three assists, one steal, and a turnover in 32 minutes, 9 seconds. Meanwhile, Embiid missed 17 of 21 shots — including all six of his three-pointers — while scoring 16 points. The 7-foot-2 center also finished with seven rebounds, two assists, one block, and a steal.
In their two games together, Embiid averaged 17 points while making 28.5% of his shots. Meanwhile, George averaged 14 points on 36% shooting.
“Just, obviously, trying to be efficient,” George said of his biggest takeaway from playing alongside Embiid. “Trying to understand, still, spacing and key moments of being aggressive, and when I can be aggressive, look for mine, but understanding, like, he [hasn’t] played a ton either. So, he’s trying to find his rhythm. He’s trying to get in a flow, and I think both of us, on the court, are trying to do that at the same time.
“So, more minutes. More understanding. He’ll know where I like the ball, where I’m aggressive, and vice versa.”
But their struggles haven’t been limited to those two games.
Through eight games played this season, George’s field-goal percentage (41.8%) and three-point percentage (34.9%) are both the second lowest of his career. He’s also averaging the fourth-fewest points (14.1 points) of his career.
Meanwhile, Embiid is shooting career lows from the field (40.7%) and on three-pointers (21.4%), in addition to averaging a career-low 18.2 points in nine games this season.
But George noted that Embiid had great looks at the basket on Sunday. He added they were shots the Sixers want him to take.
“Shots, I’m sure he was comfortable with,” George said. “It’s just how the ball went that night, but that’s the game. He’s been working on his game. He’s been working on his rhythm, his timing. He’s been putting the extra work in.
“So, we expect him to be on the reverse side of that. But it’s the game, man. It’s how it goes sometimes.”
Embiid has missed 14 games this season due to left and/or right knee injury management. Meanwhile, George missed 14 games with left knee injury management and sat out another game with a sprained right ankle.
Not having games on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday this week is bittersweet for the Sixers, especially Embiid and George. They’ve been able to rest and build rhythm heading into Friday’s home game against the Indiana Pacers.
“We’ve taken advantage of these days off,” George said. “We’re in the gym today. We were in the gym yesterday. So, it hasn’t been ‘off’ for us. We’re still putting the work in to kind of be prepared and be ready and get our bodies going and try to stay sharp, but it is bittersweet. Especially, for us trying to get into a game time rhythm where we start to come back and then there’s a break in between, but it’s good.
“Especially for the guys that have been playing a ton of minutes for them to get some time away. That’s where the sweet part comes in.”
