Paul George spoke candidly after his debut for the Philadelphia 76ers in their narrow loss 118-116 loss to the Phoenix Suns. George noted that his debut was really ‘bad’, but did note that he was glad to go out there and perform without any concerns of how his body would perform while noting it was a rusty game for him.
“It was bad… The good thing about it, though, I was able to go out there and compete free of any thoughts of my body not holding up… I felt completely fine. That was the positive in it. But all around it was definitely a rusty game.”
George made his debut for the 76ers by putting up 15 points, five rebounds, four assists, and one steal. He shot just 4-14 from the field, 1-7 from beyond the arc, and 6-7 from the free-throw line. But the most telling statistic was George’s 6 turnovers, the most by any player in either team.
George and the 76ers will be hoping that this will be an outlier and that the former All-Star can turn his performances around going forward. The 76ers have struggled greatly in George’s absence, and need his performances to improve if they want to turn things around.
The 76ers have been impacted greatly by the absence of George and Joel Embiid. And with George making his return, the 76ers will be hoping that Embiid can make his return to the squad soon.
However, they received some negative news on that front today, as Embiid was handed a 3-game suspension by the NBA for his altercation with a reporter in the locker room.
Embiid will only make his return after serving this suspension, and this suspension will only begin after Embiid is declared healthy and available for the 76ers.
How Can Paul George Help The 76ers Improve?
Despite the difficult opening game, the 76ers will be thrilled with the return of Paul George. In the absence of their two All-Stars, the 76ers got off to a 1-4 start, with Tyrese Maxey being the only All-Star player available for the squad. Head coach Nick Nurse has struggled to adapt to losing his two best players.
With George now back, and Embiid expected to return to the squad soon, the 76ers will be expected to turn their form around and start playing like the contenders everyone expected them to be at the start of the season.
With the 76ers forming a big three with Embiid, George, and Maxey, they are now set to be one of the favorites in the Eastern Conference.
Last season, George averaged 22.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.5 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game with the Clippers. If he can replicate, or even improve his performance this year with the 76ers, while Joel Embiid puts up similar numbers to last season as well, the 76ers will be a threat in the East.
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