For the first time since March 4, Paul George was back on the court for the Philadelphia 76ers. George made his season debut on November 17 against his former team, the Los Angeles Clippers.
George was inserted into the starting lineup, finishing with nine points, seven rebounds, three assists and two blocks in 21 minutes. He was on a minutes restriction to ease him back after undergoing offseason arthroscopic surgery on his left knee. He missed the first 12 games of the campaign.
Speaking to reporters after the game, the 35-year-old star opened up about his performance after a long layoff.
“It felt great. It felt great to finally play basketball again. Been like eight months since I played, so it was a long journey. A lot of ups and downs, a lot of hiccups … but felt good to finally get out there, and I felt good. Rusty, but I felt good,” George said, via ESPN’s Tim Bontemps.
George was indeed rusty, going 2-for-9 from the field and 4-for-7 from the free-throw line. It will take some time to get back into his rhythm, with the Sixers having the luxury of a top offensive player in Tyrese Maxey to make up for it.
Maxey Points Out George’s Current Strengths
With Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe and Quentin Grimes covering the offense from the perimeter, Paul George is below the team’s pecking order currently. However, Maxey believes that George’s current strength is his defense, praising his versatility on that end of the floor.
“I think his biggest asset to us right now, like today, was his defense. He can guard multiple positions. He guarded (John) Collins, he guarded James (Harden), he guarded, I don’t know so many different people, and he was able to just get deflections and get some blocks. So, that was big for us,” Maxey said after the game, via Sixers Wire.
At 35 years old, George might no longer be the player he once was. He had a plus-minus of -9 for his season debut, but it’s important for him to get back into the speed of the game. He could also serve as a mentor for the younger players like Edgecombe, Grimes, Justin Edwards and Jared McCain.
Nick Nurse Dilemma
According to Maxwell Ogden of The Sixers Sense, Philadelphia 76ers coach Nick Nurse could be in a dilemma once Paul George is no longer under a minutes restriction. Nurse needs to find a way to increase George’s playing time without sacrificing minutes allotted for Quentin Grimes.
“With Grimes continuing the trend of being an invaluable contributor to the 76ers’ success, Nurse can’t be afraid to continue prioritizing his minutes, no matter what happens with George,” Ogden wrote.
Grimes is set to become an unrestricted free agent next summer. With the way he’s playing, the Sixers might not have the cap space to retain him unless they can offload a huge contract or two before the trade deadline.
In 13 games off the bench this season, Grimes is averaging 16.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and 4.3 assists. George, on the other hand, put up 16.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.8 steals in 41 games last season as a starter.
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