The Philadelphia 76ers have sought someone to share the offensive load with Tyrese Maxey amidst an injury upheaval and Paul George rose to the occasion on Thursday night.
George scored Philadelphia’s first 11 points in its 123-114 overtime win against the Milwaukee Bucks en route to a 21-point performance. The 76ers gave him a mix of on and off ball scoring opportunities, which George thrived with. Sticking to this blueprint could be critical as he aims to be the third scoring option that Philadelphia envisioned.
That’s more like it
George opened the first quarter by attacking a mismatched Myles Turner off the dribble for a well-earned layup – showcasing quality body control. Many fans grew concerned with George’s burst, or lack thereof last season, but if he can self create in doses, he’ll remain effective.
George’s next three scores came from beyond the arc: two spot-up threes and a pull-up from the wing. He created space utilizing screens on and off the ball and his shot release was pure.
His reliability from distance was a relief to the fandom as he shot just 34.5% from three-point range when given six feet of space last season. While other facets of his game may devolve with age, the 35-year-old’s perimeter shooting should remain intact.
Maxey assisted on George’s next two buckets as he collapsed the defense to generate an uncontested corner three for him. Milwaukee switched to a zone defense in the third quarter in an attempt to slow Maxey, but he detected George for a zone-breaking midrange jumper.
Much of Philadelphia’s recent offensive struggles derived from a lack of offensive firepower aside from Maxey. Defenses aimed to swarm him whenever he touched the ball, but instead of forcing a low-percentage shot, George was there to benefit from his gravity.
Build on this
While Maxey had a career-high 54 points in the win, George’s secondary scoring helped the 76ers to score the most points in a game since their 130-120 win against the Toronto Raptors on November 8th.
George is still trying to find his rhythm, having two games under his belt this season after debuting in Philadelphia’s win against the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday. The nine-time all-sar missed the 76ers’ first 12 games of the season following an arthroscopic left knee procedure he underwent on July 14th.
Although George’s days of being all-star caliber may be past, he can be an impactful two-way presence playing behind Maxey and Joel Embiid, who remains day to day. George must maintain a combination of on and off ball scoring to play within the flow of the offense, but decrease the scoring load from Philadelphia’s two stars.