It has been nothing short of a nightmare season for the Philadelphia 76ers. After a summer where the front office made their big free agency splash by going out and signing Paul George from the LA Clippers, it looked like the Sixers were finally going to be in perfect position to rise above the other contenders of the Eastern Conference and have a strong shot at making an NBA Finals run.
Instead, what was basically the worst-case scenario for this season has unfolded. To say Philadelphia has been snake-bitten by injuries would be a severe understatement, as their entire vision for what they wanted to accomplish in 2024-25 was flipped upside down by various ailments to key players. Jared McCain was on pace to become the Rookie of the Year in a landslide, before his season ended following a torn meniscus.
But the biggest problem has obviously been the health of Paul George and Joel Embiid. Neither has been able to stay on the court consistently, and their absence has totally tanked any chance the 76ers could reach their ceiling this season. The penultimate moment in this year's injury saga came on Friday afternoon, when it was announced that Philadelphia would be shutting Embiid down for the rest of the season to allow him to recover from his left knee injury.
The Sixers should now shut down George as well
While it hurts to do, this was clearly the right choice for the organization. Joel appeared in just 19 games this season, and he was clearly not playing at an optimal level even when he was able to get on the floor. It is not easy seeing a guy so plagued by injuries in his career have to miss yet another large chunk of time, and to have another of his prime years wasted. But if the Sixers want Embiid to have a chance of continuing to play at an All-NBA level in years to come, this was what they had to do.
So now, this leads us to think - should Philadelphia also consider shutting down Paul George for the season as well? I think the answer has to be yes. If you are the 76ers, you are sitting in 12th place in the Eastern Conference standings and with a 20-38 record overall. Without a top-five level player in Embiid on the floor, there is a very low chance you can make enough of a run to elevate back into the top six of the standings. You could make the play-in, but what would be the point?
Let's face it - George needs to rest and heal up his body as well. He has not exactly been the picture of health this season either. This is already a lost season for the Sixers. Better to shut PG down completely and prioritize development than to run him into the ground for no cause and damage his outlook for next season as well.