A new hierarchy has been established within the Philadelphia 76ers organization. Tyrese Maxey has emerged as a franchise-level talent, Joel Embiid has scored at virtual will in restricted minutes, and VJ Edgecombe has looked the part of a rising star.
Six-time All-NBA honoree Paul George has yet to play a game this season, however, which has left many pondering what the ideal role for him will be.
The question has been answered in a perhaps inadvertent manner due to the early events of the 2025-26 season. It'd be foolish to argue that Philadelphia is better off without George, but an identity has been established on offense that will require him to make adjustments.
Neither Edgecombe nor Maxey should play in any less featured a role than they currently are, and George is the player who will ensure that either transpires or falls to pieces.
Maxey has been in superstar form, posting two games with at least 40 points and another two with at least 10 assists. Edgecombe, meanwhile, is an early frontrunner for Rookie of the Year with averages of 21.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, 5.4 assists, and 1.2 steals on .494/.438/.800 shooting.
If the 76ers are going to build upon a strong start to the season and truly contend, then George must be comfortable with potentially fitting in as a fourth option on offense.
76ers need Paul George to prioritize defense, pick his spots on offense
George is one of the best two-way players of his generation, balancing an offensive skill set as smooth as silk with elite defensive capabilities. That bodes well for him in his current role as a player who can make his mark both on and away from the ball.
George shouldn't be cast aside and written off as an offensive non-factor, of course, but he should be closer to the 13.9 field goal attempts he averaged in 2024-25 than the 16.7 he tallied in 2023-24.
A part of the reasoning is that the Embiid and Maxey combo provides the platform upon which the 76ers can build a true contender. It's also imperative that Edgecombe continues to feature heavily on offense as he comes into his own.
For that matter, Quentin Grimes has been thriving as Philadelphia's sixth man and needs ample opportunity to prove whether or not he should be re-signed to a lucrative new contract in 2026.
The luxury the 76ers have with George is that he's a tremendous shooter and a skilled scorer who doesn't need a surplus of shots to get into rhythm. He shot 38.0 percent on catch-and-shoot threes during an injury-plagued 2024-25 campaign and an elite 45.4 percent in said scenarios in 2023-24.
George has shot at least 38.0 percent on catch-and-shoot threes since NBA.com began tracking the data in 2013-14—and has fallen below 40.0 percent just three times in 12 years.
George has almost always been a featured option on offense, however, which makes the current situation rather delicate. He shouldn't stop himself from shooting when he's on his game, but the 76ers' priority must be to continue developing its perimeter duo of the future.
If George is willing to embrace defense as his first priority and play more of a complementary role on offense, the 76ers can contend in 2025-26.