The Philadelphia 76ers snagged former Los Angeles Clippers small forward Paul George in free agency after another disappointing season. Philadelphia fell to the New York Knicks in the first round of the playoffs while having trotted out an evidently injured Joel Embiid. Despite the 76ers having an arguable top-five player on its roster, the team annually struggles to get over the hump as its Eastern Conference peers continue to improve.
Is the 76ers Acquiring Paul George a Good or Desperate Move?
Does This Move Make Sense For Paul George?
The nine-time All-Star and six-time All-NBA selection chose to join Philadelphia after an underwhelming five-year tenure with the Clippers. Yes, George is responsible for lifting the Clippers to the franchise’s only Western Conference Finals appearance in 2021 without Kawhi Leonard, but his time there was largely disappointing. Furthermore, when fans look back at the duo, they will mainly remember the infamous 3-1 lead they gave up to the Denver Nuggets in the 2020 Western Conference Semi-Finals. Injuries hindered the pairing of George and Leonard from reaching their maximum potential. Now, George is going into another situation with a team that has a generational player who struggles to stay healthy.
Embiid, the 2023 NBA MVP, is one of the greatest big men the game has ever seen. The former No.1 overall pick stands at seven feet, 280 pounds and can score the basketball as good as anyone can. In 2023, Embiid became the second center since Bob McAdoo to win back-to-back scoring titles (’21-’22,’22-’23). Moreover, the 30-year-old center scored a whopping 70 points this past January against the San Antonio Spurs, now recognized as the most in a game in 76ers franchise history.
Despite that, Embiid is often criticized for his inability to stay healthy, especially during playoff time. He plays an average of 54.1 games per season. Additionally, Embiid played only 39 games this past season and returned for the 76ers’ final five games and the postseason run, but clearly wasn’t 100%.
Fans note that Embiid hasn’t even led Philadelphia to a conference finals appearance. He also had an underwhelming performance in Game 7 against the Boston Celtics in the 2023 semifinal. Could this new pairing resemble George and Leonard’s in Los Angeles?
What Does George Bring to the 76ers?
As one of the league’s best two-way players, George is a major upgrade over former 76ers forward Tobias Harris, who recently signed with the Detroit Pistons. In 2023, he averaged 22.6 points and 5.2 rebounds, shooting 47.1% from the field and 41.3% from beyond the arc (career-high). George isn’t the premier defender he once was, but he is still an effective enough defender to be able at least to bother the other team’s top offensive weapons and help if one of his teammates gets beat off the dribble.
George, who just turned 34, will be 38 years old by the time the four-year, $212 million max deal is over. Furthermore, he is also accredited for having missed many games due to injury. Before last season, George played only 87 games between the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 seasons (53%). With his frequent injury history, can George even stay healthy as he enters his 15th season?
As mentioned, George is an immense upgrade over Harris, as his overall impact is far greater than Harris’s. Which begs the question, is George the second or third option for the 76ers?
Who Is the Second Option For Philadelphia?
Embiid is obviously the first option and face of the franchise for the 76ers. But who is the next man up when Embiid isn’t available? George is the bigger name and has led three teams to conference finals appearances. But Tyrese Maxey makes a strong case to be slotted in the second-option spot.
Maxey recently signed a five-year, $204 million max deal after averaging 25.9 points and 6.2 assists while shooting 45% from the field and 37.3% from three-point range last season. Furthermore, Maxey won Most Improved Player of the Year, solidifying him as one of the league’s rising stars.
The former first-round pick averaged 26.3 points and 5.6 assists without Embiid in the lineup this past season. But despite Maxey’s impressive numbers, Philadelphia lacked that third guy to help Maxey. Insert, George.
Maxey hasn’t reached his full potential yet. Meanwhile, George’s ceiling has already been reached as an older player with an injury-riddled track record. Maxey should definitively be Philadelphia’s second option behind Embiid.
The Last Word
76ers President Daryl Morey’s track record of getting high-caliber names to pair with his franchise star runs deep. While in the Houston Rockets front office (’07-’20), Morey acquired the likes of Dwight Howard, Chris Paul, and Russell Westbrook to pair with James Harden during his tenure as arguably the best shooting guard in all of basketball.
Morey has done the same thing again in hopes of contending with a highly competitive Eastern Conference. The NBA champion Boston Celtics are at the top, while the other teams in the conference should have improved a lot. The Milwaukee Bucks should return healthy next year, the Cleveland Cavaliers gave star Donovan Mitchell a max deal, the New York Knicks with Jalen Brunson are surging upwards, and the young Indiana Pacers tasted a little bit of playoff success and hope to build off of it in 2024.
Embiid is 30, but his injury history raises the question of how much longer he can perform at this level. The 76ers front office has asked themselves that question. All in all, Philadelphia had to make a splash to keep up with its conference peers. The acquisition of George at this point gives a little scent of desperation. However, if the Sixers finally make a deep playoff run and perhaps win a title with George, the move will be remembered as an all-time great one.
