The 76ers have found a unique solution to their playmaking woes

After a pretty frustrating five-game losing streak, the Philadelphia 76ers finally managed to stop the bleeding in their previous game against the Hornets, staving off the visitors en route to a tight win in overtime highlighted by the heroics of their two bench stars in Jared McCain and Guerschon Yabusele.

For just the second time this season, the 76ers took the floor without Tyrese Maxey, who will now be out for at least a week or two due to a right hamstring injury. While McCain (and Lowry) did an admirable job filling in for the All-Star, his absence still leaves the club with a gaping hole in the backcourt.

Having said that, even when Maxey was playing, the 76ers’ lack of natural playmakers was pretty obvious. Maxey himself only tallied 3.9 assists per outing, a pretty low mark given that he’s playing nearly 40 minutes a game. Lowry has registered the same average.

The 76ers have found a unique solution to their playmaking woes

Currently, Philadelphia’s leading assists man is not a guard. That title belongs to Paul George, who leads the team in dimes with 5.8 per game.

While George has immensely (and understandably) struggled shooting the ball since his return, his presence has been a massive boost for the 76ers on the playmaking department. While he’s always been an above-average passer for a forward, this is the first time he’s been given this heavy of a table-setting load in his illustrious career.

Nick Nurse and the coaching staff do not really have a lot of options awaiting them when it comes to setting up the offense, especially with Maxey gone for the meantime. Thus, they have been forced to give George the bulk of the playmaking reps — a bold, yet promising move that could pay dividends down the road.

Maintaining that current status quo probably won’t be a sustainable route for the 76ers, but it should be beneficial for the team as they aim for a more dynamic attack offensively. Given the team’s lack of connectors at forward, having George get as much playmaking chops now as Joel Embiid returns will give the coaching staff new looks to go to on the scoring end.

Still, the front office should venture out to find passers and connectors from outside the roster. But for now, having George man the job should be harmless, especially since it also gives him another avenue to impact the game while his shot is still getting reacclimated after a lengthy absence.