Paul George made his Philadelphia 76ers debut in a very close loss to the Phoenix Suns. He only scored 15 points in 32 minutes but still had plenty of juice in his return to the court. The loss hurts but there’s still plenty of room for optimism.
The 76ers flopped down the stretch, losing all the offensive momentum they generated through George's insertion into the lineup and Tyrese Maxey's heater. Being in the first game of a new star tandem and a veteran getting a feel for new teammates cost them as Kevin Durant took over for his team. George tallied more turnovers (six) than field goals or assists (four apiece) and failed the 76ers down the stretch.
Still, even with apparent rust, PG-8 made things much easier for his teammates and showed what a top-heavy roster can do with even just two of its Big 3. The Sixers outscored the Suns in George's minutes and they should outscore more teams with the veteran star leading the way.
Paul George's presence opens up space for 76ers teammates
Because he's a perennial All-Star and one of the best shooters at his position, George will always command a level of respect from opposing defenses.
Early in the game, before George even crosses the three-point line, Tyus Jones crosses over the middle of the court to make sure George doesn’t drive. PG shakes Devin Booker so easily because Book is trying to deny him his right hand. Caleb Martin is the beneficiary of all the attention George gets but he can’t convert on the three-point try.
This strategy from the Suns may serve as foreshadowing for the playoffs, as Martin may be someone defenses help further off of because they don’t respect his three-point shot. His rebounding, defensive versatility and ability to attack closeouts will still make him valuable but this is something to monitor.
George, however, is an excellent shooter that defenders will always contest. You can see alarms going off in Mason Plumlee's head when a trailing George receives a pass and is wide open from deep. All PG has to do is make him pay for his hard closeout and, voila, Kyle Lowry cans an open triple from the corner.
George set up the highlight of Guerschon Yabusele's excellent performance, immediately hitting him on the short roll as Phoenix prepares to have Jusuf Nurkic hedge and recover. Yabu reads the defense well and PG hits him in stride, using the Suns' aggressive defense against itself.
Once George gets his conditioning back, going beyond the minimum level of comfort for him to play, he should be more capable of going right at defenders. He should also have much better shooting splits going forward.
PG makes tough shots
While George made just four of his 14 attempts from the field, he made some of his makes count.
The first field goal George scored as a Sixer was a corner three assisted by Maxey. It was a routine shot that PG made in extraordinary fashion, catching the ball at his shoulder and not dipping the ball back down. The long-armed Ryan Dunn is closing in on him and would have altered, possibly even blocked, the shot with a normal release. PG sure makes it look like it is, though.
That catch-and-shoot talent is going to put defenses in pickles when both Maxey and Joel Embiid are in the game.
George is not the high-flying athlete he used to be. Instead, he's a much more calculated, cunning assassin, poking and prodding for openings instead of just bursting through. Armed with a swift, deep bag of ball-handling tricks, he can break defenders down in an instant.
Sizing up Bradley Beal, George dribbles sharply between his legs and spins back the opposite way. Yabusele is setting a phenomenal screen to open up a corner pass but George has his heart set on the hoop. He gets stood up but maintains enough strength to muscle the shot in from close range.
George not only made some highlight-reel buckets but got to the foul line seven times, which tied Devin Booker for the game-high amount, and made six of his freebies. For someone whose most athletic days are behind him, it's still impressive to see him put pressure on the defense like this in his season debut following a knee injury.
Two of the times he got to the foul line, he took advantage of the smaller Jones and the slower Plumlee, getting to his spot and drawing the contact. But he also crossed up Royce O'Neale, busting out a nifty dribble sequence and attacking O'Neale's top foot, putting him in a difficult position to recover. George essentially gets him out of his defensive stance and drives into his arm, earning him a trip to the charity stripe.
Although George got downhill against the Suns, he did only attempt one shot at the rim. He's going to be very reliant on his jumper, so games where he goes 2-6 from the mid-range and 1-7 must be few and far between for him to have the star-level impact the Sixers need out of him.
PG's defensive contributions
The 76ers welcomed George back into action with the assignment of Bradley Beal but the switch-happy scheme exposed him to each member of the Suns' star trio. George wasn’t flying around the court to cause chaos but he did put in the effort when he needed to on defense. He made good efforts to stick with his man, even with the hulking Nurkic setting tough screens. Thanks to some good positioning from Andre Drummond, George coaxes Booker into taking a middie rather than a drive.
The Suns targeted Maxey often and George saved him from being on an island with Durant by switching away from the ball. He finishes this possession by going up strong for the rebound.
George expertly tagged the roller and ran back out to contest the shooter in the corner…
…and showed help against a driving Durant when he had a step on Martin. There’s nothing you can do there but tip your cap to Durant, whose attempt George times up perfectly and gets two hands in front of.
The 76ers have kinks to iron out, like how Maxey and George go about sharing the ball down the stretch. But overall, this debut from George should inspire confidence. He committed some mistakes that should be smoothed out as he gets back into the swing of things. For the first time all season, with a still-feeling-things-out performance from George, the Sixers looked competent and competitive.
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