The Philadelphia 76ers have turned in a successful start to their season, racking up four straight wins to go undefeated thus far. Turbocharged by the electric play of their backcourt thanks to Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe, as well as some timely contributions from their role players, the team has emerged early as a top team in the Eastern Conference.
The squad has accomplished this feat without Paul George and Jared McCain, who are still sidelined with their respective injuries. The latter remains a core piece for this team moving forward, but the same definitely cannot be said for the former, especially since the squad’s need for him has slowly been shafted due to their shift in dynamics.
With the coaching staff implementing a more stylized offensive attack predicated on constant initiation from their talented guards. As a result, George’s role on this team will probably be reduced to him being a mere spot-up shooter for the most part, which is probably also the most sensible thing to do at present given that he can no longer be a viable primary option who has to navigate through traffic to create for himself and for others.
The nine-time All-Star will probably be back sooner than later, but there is a strong chance that fans will eventually turn on him. And that storyline is definitely worth monitoring as the season progresses.
76ers fans could easily turn on Paul George the moment he struggles
In all honesty, George already has a small margin of error. Given his well-documented struggles last season, fans will not put up with another campaign marked by the continuance of his ongoing decline.
There is also the fact that Philadelphia is not necessarily paying him like a mere role player. George is still owed more than $160 million over the next three years, and even a casual bystander will probably not be happy paying that kind of money to someone whose availability, much less his production, cannot even be guaranteed.
But largely different from that reason is the fact that the 76ers seem to have already found a sustainable formula for winning without him. Hence, the moment he struggles, it will not take long before fans start to turn on him completely. ESPN’s Tim Legler summed it up nicely in a recent pod episode — it will be a mutiny.
Hopefully, a more streamlined role will actually allow Paul George to thrive in this team. He still has a lot left in the tank, and health permitting, the chances of him redeeming himself are arguably higher than the odds of him completely succumbing to his looming steep decline.