Paul George debuted for the Philadelphia 76ers (1-5) in a matchup against the Phoenix Suns (6-1). The Sixers, unsurprisingly, looked better than they have all season and almost stole the win. They lost 118-116.
Although Joel Embiid remained out, George played his first regular-season game for the Sixers, making his return after injuring his knee in the preseason. Philly, the owner of one of the worst, least enjoyable-to-watch offenses in the league through five games, needed help in the worst way. George joined the starting five, bumping Kyle Lowry to the bench and infusing the Philly lineup with scoring and shooting as it stared down a Suns team off to a hot start.
Here are three takeaways from the 76ers' regular-season game with PG-8.
Paul George's first (real) spin with the 76ers
The Sixers finally got George in their lineup again. Although he was on a minutes restriction, they finally had someone to take some pressure off Tyrese Maxey and provide a greater scoring punch. George was still shaking off plenty of rust, so he initially struggled to put any downhill pressure on the Suns' defense off the bounce, allowing opponents to crowd him more on jumpers. But his timely cutting and attacking closeouts instantly improved Philly's offense.
Still, PG drew plenty of attention from the PHX D. The Suns shaded an extra defender his way and he immediately swung the ball to Caleb Martin, who was gifted a wide-open look from deep that he ended up missing. George subbed out less than six minutes into the game but in his next stint, a pump fake and drive opened up a swing-swing sequence that resulted in a corner triple from Kyle Lowry.
George missed his first five shots, three of which were trey-balls, but his ability to read the floor and the threat of his elite shooting provided some structure for the Sixers' offense, even with Maxey resting. Once he started hitting shots, he really started to get cooking.
Early in the second quarter, PG finally got on the board with a no-dip triple from the corner assisted by Maxey. He took a seat on the bench shortly thereafter because he picked up his third foul and then took defenders off the dribble with ease in his next stint. With his smooth, pace-changing handles, he got into the paint for trips to the foul line and dump-off passes. It's nice to have someone capable of this on the floor.
George's emphatic rebounding, playmaking and feel for the game combined for a very solid team debut, even if the stat line (15 points, five rebounds, four assists on 4-14 field-goal shooting) wasn’t anything insane and he couldn’t come up with a bucket on the last possession. The Sixers should feel good about how quickly George meshed with the team.
Tyrese Maxey gets a star teammate again!
The Sixers still needed Maxey to do a lot of what he's done to start the season: create almost everything on offense. On the same day he blew out 24 candles, Maxey blew the Suns away with tough bucket after tough bucket, totaling 32 points on 12-22 shooting.
With George in the fold, Maxey found easier playmaking opportunities and less attention from the defense. George earned him an assist with his quick, smooth release that not many other players would have taken, let alone drained. Defenses won’t be able to load up on Maxey as heavily. This game was a major positive or No. 0 for other reasons beyond his star teammate's return.
The Sixers ran some nice off-ball sets for Maxey, including staggered screens that he flew off of and used to hit an open three from the top of the key. He was money from the paint, letting an array of mid-range shots flow and converting on most of them. Maxey went on a run in the third quarter, notching 5,000 career points in the process. He displayed not only scintillating scoring from the second level but comfort letting the three-ball fly off the dribble.
Although George helped Maxey out a lot on offense, he wasn’t able to save him from the Suns' relentless targeting of him on defense. They set off-ball screens to force switches in the post for Kevin Durant and Devin Booker, put him in pick-and-rolls and sent ball-handlers to take him off the dribble a bunch, pinning two fouls on him in 73 seconds. There were a few ill-advised decisions, including a gamble for a pass when he was switched onto Durant. It was his easiest bucket of the night.
Nonetheless, Maxey's brilliant shooting propelled the 76ers in the second half. He nailed his fifth and sixth triples of the game on consecutive possessions, snatched a pass out of midair to save a fast beak and looked more comfortable with someone to lean on heavily. Just imagine what he can do when he has two such guys.
Defense still has work to do
The 76ers looked like a whole new team on offense with George, even as rusty and unfamiliar with the roster as he is. Defensively, however, there is still a lot of work to be done. PG was brought in mainly to be a jolt on offense, as his days as a superstar defender already appeared to be over, but it doesn’t change Philly's need to be better on defense.
Guerschon Yabusele got more run than Andre Drummond, who isn’t a top-tier defender anyway but he is a big body (and he also has quick hands that generate plenty of steals). The Sixers don’t have the size on the wings to consistently go to Yabu at center unless they’re shooting way over their heads. The Suns shot 72.7 percent from the paint in the first half.
The Suns slipping ball screens allowed them to pick the Sixers apart on the short roll, earning them layups and playmaking opportunities aplenty. Their shooters got hot from deep and KD was doing KD things. Phoenix certainly has the potential to go nuclear on offense any given night but Philly also did itself no favors throughout the night.
To start the fourth quarter, the Sixers turned up the heat, forcing turnovers that led to breakaway scores. That’s the recipe they have to follow because of their lack of size: being pesky on the perimeter and using every easy scoring opportunity possible. As tough as it is, that’s what Philly has to do when Embiid is unavailable.
Yabusele, meanwhile, made up for any defensive shortcomings as a center with a masterful performance on offense. He notched new career-highs in points (19) and assists (six) while shooting wonderfully efficient from deep. There were times when he was passive with the ball but he didn’t shut down the possession right away, taking pauses when passes weren’t there to shoot or drive.
Other takeaways
- Every game, Nick Nurse finds a way to go smaller, though in this game he had a Bud on the opposite sideline to go super small with. His lineup with Maxey-McCain-Lowry-Oubre-K.J. Martin is the most micro-ball lineup to ever micro-ball. At the same time, the Suns had Royce O'Neale at center along with the rest of their starters.
- Lowry's still got it and Yabusele, as previously mentioned, was excellent. They’re the type of skilled, physical and smart role players that will make significant differences throughout the season.
The 76ers' next game is a big one. On Wednesday, they’ll face George's old team, the Los Angeles Clippers, in the brand-new Intuit Dome.
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