Paul George has accomplished a lot during his 14-year NBA career. Nine All-Star selections, six All-NBA teams and four All-Defensive teams are just some of George's many individual accolades. One thing he hasn't done that he hopes to finally check off his list this season after signing with the Philadelphia 76ers: win a championship.
George recently broke down why he thinks this year's 76ers team can go all the way on the most recent episode of his podcast, Podcast P.
“I think Nick Nurse is as good as it gets in coaching,” George said. “He's won at many different levels. I've already talked about how good Joel [Embiid] is, Tyrese [Maxey] is, now you mix in myself, [Kelly] Oubre, I think we have a hell of a starting five. Then we've got veteran guys coming off the bench, so we already have the recipe to be a really good team. Everybody wants to win, we have a good mixture of veterans and young guys. I think Jared McCain will help, a really good player out of college. It's just a good mixture of everything.”
George, who signed a four-year, $212 million contract earlier this offseason with the 76ers, is hoping to be the missing piece to a Philadelphia core that has failed to advance beyond the second round of the NBA Playoffs.
It's clear this team has talent, and George broke down exactly why he thinks this year is going to be different, both for himself and for the 76ers.
Are the Paul George-led 76ers title contenders?
George's first reason why the 76ers are title contenders is about Nurse, his new head coach. Nurse is an NBA champion, one of the NBA's top tacticians, and arguably the most accomplished head coach Paul George has ever played for.
Next, Embiid and Maxey are also two elite running-mates for George and will help him form one of the top big threes in the NBA. George has had a lot of great teammates throughout his career, like Russell Westbrook, Kawhi Leonard, and James Harden, but Embiid is far and away the best big man George has ever shared the court with. Playing alongside an All-NBA-level big like Embiid will give George more space to operate than he's had in his career.
George then shouts out two of the 76ers' role players, Oubre Jr. and McCain, along with the rest of Philadelphia's bench.
While this 76ers team may not be as top-heavy as last year's Clippers team with George, Leonard, Westbrook, and Harden, George is still enthusiastic about their title chances. The next few years are likely George's last chances to be a major contributor on a contending team. The pressure is definitely there for George.
If Embiid, Maxey, and George stay healthy, they should be able to compete with anyone in the NBA. However, it will still be very difficult for both George and the rest of the 76ers to exercise their recent playoff demons in a loaded Eastern Conference featuring the reigning-champion Boston Celtics, new-look and healthy New York Knicks and the Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard-led Milwaukee Bucks.
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