ATLANTA — Paul George heard the whispers last year.
Was he washed? Would he ever return to the form he enjoyed with the LA Clippers? Would he ever be the same player with the Philadelphia 76ers that so many admired and emulated?
As George gets cranking on his second season in a Sixers jersey, the questions have been persistent. George knows this. What the public doesn’t know is that he is as hard or even harder on himself than anyone else could ever be. Things are going much differently this year, and so far much better. Ten games into his second season with the Sixers, George looks better than he did at any point of the 2024-2025 season.
“Last year, it was rough,” George said. “There were times where it was brutal. You know how it is, playing for Philly. There are a lot of expectations, and rightfully so. But, as much as there were expectations from the fans, I had those expectations for myself. It was hard. It was my first year playing with these guys. It was a lot to deal with, physically and mentally. At times, it broke me down mentally. Like, I know what I was capable of, but my body wasn’t allowing it.”
George has made nine All-Star teams. He’s made an All-NBA team six times. He’s been All-Defense four times. He’s been to the conference finals three times. He’s won a Most Improved Player award, and he’s an Olympian. He finished third in MVP voting in 2018-19. By almost any account, he’s one of the best and most skilled small forwards of this era.
But none of that matters to Sixers fans. All that matters is how he has looked in a Philly uniform.
When George signed with the Sixers in free agency before last year, he knew this. He knew that Sixers fans were capable of making him feel like royalty. And he knew they were capable of making his basketball life miserable.
Last season, George struggled to create off the dribble. He flat-out couldn’t separate from his defenders. And that killed a lot of what’s made him such a great player for so long. At his apex, George is poetry on a basketball court. He is 6-foot-9, yet has one of the smoothest handles in the league. He’s a terrific shooter, both on the move and off the catch. He’s a great passer and defender. He has always rebounded well for his size. His breadth of skills is stunning.
But not being able to beat people off the dribble stymied so many of the other things that he’s done well. And that’s why he had one of the worst seasons of his career. George averaged just 16 points in 41 hard-to-watch games last year. That was his lowest mark in over a decade. He shot a touch worse than 36 percent from 3-point range.
That his raw numbers took such a drastic dip was one thing. How he looked was more dispiriting. He wasn’t anywhere near the person the Sixers paid so handsomely for.
“Last year was like a puzzle for me,” George said. “Every time I touched the ball, I was wondering how I was going to make an impact on that possession. I felt limited. I felt like I was at a disadvantage with the ball. I feel like I’m closer to having that advantage this year.”
This season, George’s ability to get by people off the dribble is back. On Sunday night, in a 120-117 loss to the Atlanta Hawks, George scored a season-high 35 points. He made seven 3s. He got into the lane off the bounce whenever he wanted. He generated a good shot for himself and others, almost whenever he wanted.
He dropped in 23 against the Indiana Pacers on Friday night. That’s significant because the 58 points are a two-game combined high for George in a Sixers uniform. George has come into the season with a lot to prove. Foremost, he has to prove worthy of what is one of the most lucrative contracts in the league, and one with no outs or options on his side or Philadelphia’s side.
“This year, I’ve been a lot healthier,” George said. “I’ve been able to play my game and be myself. I’m not all the way back 100 percent. But, I feel a lot better than last year.”
The Sixers are 14-11 as they head toward Christmas, approaching the second third of their schedule. They have yet to field a full roster for a game — Sunday night’s absences included star guard Tyrese Maxey, starter Kelly Oubre Jr., and reserve forward Trendon Watford. Maxey, Joel Embiid and George, their three best players, have not been consistently available at the same time.
The 76ers know that availability will be a huge factor in how their season unfolds. It’s one of the reasons George and Embiid have been pushing the Sixers and the training staff to play in every game possible. In order to maximize their individual talent as a group, the group needs to be on the floor together. There are two such instances this season of Maxey, George and Embiid playing in the same game. They have lost both of those games. So, the feel for each other and the chemistry with one another clearly need to take some steps. But, being on the floor, that is step one. And that’s the most important part of Philadelphia’s equation.
“Paul is healthy, and that’s the important thing,” Embiid said. “When you’re healthy, everything feels good about yourself. When you’re healthy, the game becomes easier and the game becomes what you want it to look like.”
If we are being honest. The questions last season about George were fair. Last year, the explosion off the dribble was gone. He wondered about his place on the roster. This year, he’s back, more assertive and just plain better.
To put it simply, Philadelphia 76ers fans, meet the real Paul George. And, Paul George, welcome to playing basketball again — as the real Paul George.
