Ahead of a showdown against the Houston Rockets on Wednesday, 76ers Paul George spoke candidly on the season and what he expects going forward after a 3-13 start. According to George, despite the early struggles, he’s confident that the 76ers will find a groove and turn the season around.
“Our effort and energy, I think that’s one thing that we can control,” said George via Sixers Wire. “Obviously, with big fella out, myself, Tyrese, just joining back, getting his rhythm. I mean, obviously, we’re a little limited, but I think what we can control is just our effort, our energy, and just doing things a little harder, but we’ll change this. We’ll change this around. I’m 100% betting down on that that we’ll change this. It’s on us. We got to control what we can.”
George, 34, is fresh off a contract with the 76ers this summer after five years with the Clippers. The 9x All-Star has long been recognized as one of the league’s premier two-way wing players and he’s set to be Joel Embiid’s new co-star for the next four years.
After finishing 7th in the East last season at 47-35, the 76ers signed George, hoping to create a new big three with Embiid and Maxey to maximize their odds of a title. Instead, it has been a total disaster in the opening weeks of the season.
The 76ers had to endure several games before George and Embiid made their season debut, but not even their return has done much to stop the bleeding. At 3-13, the 76ers are 14th in the East with the second-worst record in the entire NBA. They rank 28th offensively, 19th defensively, and have a net rating of -8.6 for the season. As it stands, most fans would probably pick the 76ers as the NBA’s most disappointing team so far.
Individually, George is having his worst statistical season in years with averages of 14.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game on 38.3% shooting. The same can be said for Joel Embiid, who is down to 19.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game on 37.9% shooting this season.
The 76ers would need a miracle to climb back up into the upper standings, and yet George still has faith that it can happen. This season, he’s ready to prove all the critics wrong and prove to the world just how dangerous he and Embiid can be when they’re healthy and active on the court together.
As George already said, it begins with showing maximum effort on both ends of the floor to set the example and set the tone in the locker room. In order to come back from this, the 76ers will need complete and total cooperation and this week will give them another chance to start setting things right.
After playing the Rockets on November 27th, the 76ers hit the road for a matchup against the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena. They open December against the Hornets at Spectrum Center at 7:00 PM EST before heading back home to face Franz Wagner and the Orlando Magic.
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