After fourth straight loss, Paul George and Sixers say they aren’t giving up on season
George said it's important to keep fighting with 43 regular-season games remaining: “To me, it means something. Obviously, coming to Philadelphia, it meant something."
The 76ers have lost four consecutive games and seven of their last nine. They are nine games below .500 at 15-24. The critics see darkness all around the Sixers.
But Paul George views their season differently.
He claims to see some light — if only because they still have 43 regular-season games remaining.
So, after the Sixers lost, 125-119, in overtime to the New York Knicks on Wednesday at the Wells Fargo Center, George explained why they continue to fight on a nightly basis.
“To me, it means something,” he said. “Obviously, coming to Philadelphia, it meant something. And you know, when I’m on the floor, just try to leave it out there and play as hard as possible and give it every chance to try to win. Whether it’s defensively, trying to get the best player, or offensively trying to make plays or score, it’s what you come here and play for. You know, play hard and leave everything on the floor.”
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Last summer’s top NBA free-agent target, the 6-foot-8 swingman signed a four-year, $211.5 million contract with the Sixers in July. The belief was that he would form a dominating Big Three with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.
But the trio has played only 10 games together, with the Sixers’ Jan. 4 win over the Brooklyn Nets being the last time all three players were available. And they have all finished only seven of those games, posting a 6-1 record.
“There’s something to see there, right?” coach Nick Nurse said of the seven games the Big Three completed. “And I think we could all use a little, just for the sheer number of injuries we have, we could use some depth help to make our team better. So I hope we are trying to get better. We’ll see. I’m trying to get better.”
Wednesday marked the 26th game that Embiid missed. The 2023 NBA MVP has been sidelined for the last six games with what the Sixers labeled a sprained left foot. However, Embiid also has been dealing with an ailing left knee all season.
The Sixers hope he’s able to practice on Friday and return for Saturday’s game against the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
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While George vows to continue to fight and the Sixers are hopeful for a speedy Embiid return, this team has clear depth issues because of its injury issues.
The Sixers were down six players on Wednesday. That led to two-way players Justin Edwards and Jeff Dowtin Jr. taking on key roles in the rotation. Guerschon Yabusele, at 6-foot-7, 279 pounds, made his sixth start at center because Embiid and backup center Andre Drummond are sidelined. And the Sixers are in desperate need of a backup point guard with Kyle Lowry and Jared McCain out.
But the Sixers’ roster was built around Embiid, Maxey, and George. Ten games — seven completed — isn’t a large enough sample size to see what type of players the team needs to fit alongside them.
Even if Embiid returns Saturday and plays in every game leading up to the Feb. 6 trade deadline, the Sixers would have at most 21 games to determine that they need. Is that enough time to make a reasonable trade decision that could impact the team this season or beyond?
“Well, I mean, I’m the coach, right?” Nurse said. “And I hope we make decisions that are going to make our team better. I hope we think like that all the time, every opportunity you get. Whether it’s the draft, whether it’s free-agent signings, whether it’s trade deadline, whether it’s buyout market. There’s kind of these markers that you can possibly improve your team. And I am kind of under the assumption that until you think your team’s perfect, you better be trying to improve it.”
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But as things stand now, this season has been an emotional drain for Maxey, who compiled his share of victories in his first four NBA seasons.
“It’s definitely hard,” Maxey said. “It’s definitely difficult. I’ve won on every level all my career. So I think it got to me early in the season. … Now, I don’t feel pressure. I just feel like I want to go out there and compete every single night. And I want guys to, whoever’s out there, to take the opportunity and don’t take it for granted, because it doesn’t always come around like that in the NBA.”