Nov 4, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George (8) shoots over Phoenix Suns forward Ryan Dunn (0) during the first half at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images Joe Camporeale
Paul George went for 15 points, five rebounds, four assists and six turnovers in his Sixers debut. But, Philadelphia came up short in Phoenix to start a three-game road trip out west.
Here's what I saw from George.
- Understandably, George spent the first quarter shaking off rust. But, his impact was immediate. He put pressure on the rim, leveraging his own resume to shift Phoenix's entire defense on hard drives into the paint when the swing pass reached him. George made decisive passes to the weak side of the floor. He set up the immediate shooter or picked up the hockey assist when the weak-side defender rotated to the recipient of George's pass, leaving the guy in the corner open for a three.
- He also lightened the playmaking load for Tyrese Maxey and the Sixers' less dynamic ball-handlers. George was comfortable being the fulcrum of pick-and-rolls, with and without Maxey on the floor. The Sixers got something they could justify with Maxey being a spectator on the court. George is not typically billed for his playmaking, but there were a handful of "oh, that's different" moments - not because they were necessarily special, but because it was a tool that Tobias Harris did not have.
George made complex reads out of the pick-and-roll, leaving the ball off to Andre Drummond for shots inside if the Suns committed multiple bodies to stopping his drive.
- It was refreshing to see a Sixers forward take a contested three without thinking about it. There wasn't a dip or a jab-step. George caught it in his shooting pocket and went up immediately, trusting his muscle memory to hit the target.
- George demonstrated a tight handle, too. That was one of the biggest factors in his ability to create space off the dribble in isolation play. He navigated crowded spaces, changing speeds and keeping his dribble low to the floor as he challenged the interior.
- For someone playing his first game of the regular season, George had good balance on his feet when trying to make things happen. He had a strong feel for when defenders were leaning on one side of his back, flipping over to face the basket with a quick spin move. His defender couldn't have been squared because he was leaning, so George effectively created a driving lane just by spinning. He then had the center of gravity to keep going, getting deeper and forcing helpers to step up.
George had one "oh yeah, this is an All-Star" moment in the first half. He attacked the basket after clearing his defender with a tight move and had the strength to power through the contact around the restricted area for the hoop and the harm as he fell to the floor.
- His sense for contact was excellent, too. George had the sense for where defenders were relative to his body when the ball was in his hands. He curled around a Drummond ball screen with Booker guarding him instead of attacking straight downhill. He knew that Booker was reaching and grabbing, so the curl kept Booker connected on the screen, making the foul obvious.
George did a fine job of tracking where mismatches had their hands, catching them infringing on the cookie jar and rising into his shot to draw the whistle.
- I think one of the best things about George, the ball-handler, is that his size makes it difficult to deploy anything beyond standard man coverage in the pick-and-roll. His tight dribble under duress helps, too. But, he has patience against a blitz, can see over a double-team, shoot over a smaller switch and blow by a bigger switch or a hedge. Phoenix isn't exactly the standard for versatile bigs. They sat in drop on his pick-and-rolls throughout the game. But, there were not many ways to fluster or contain him with multiple defenders at once.
- Seven turnovers. Not great, but rust is reasonable.
- I thought there were times when George was a bit too passive. You're part of the hierarchy. George shooting anything is almost certainly a higher-quality shot than any shot his non-Maxey teammates take.
- You could see the Sixers, as a whole, were a lot more connected and functional on offense. George didn't even play all that well by counting stats, and you could still sense that everyone was more comfortable in their roles with the star forward in the lineup. It will only get better if everyone can just. Get. On. The. Court.
The Sixers (1-5) will visit the Los Angeles Clippers (3-4) on Wednesday. Tip-off is scheduled for 10 p.m., Eastern time. You can watch the game on ESPN.
