Paul George has been fantastic for the Philadelphia 76ers since returning from his 25-game suspension. In his last four games, he has averaged 28 points while shooting 51.9% from the field and 42.6% from deep, 7 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 3 steals in 31.8 minutes.
The soon-to-be 36-year-old has played as well as the 76ers were hoping he would since his return, and he's getting hot at the right time with the postseason only a couple of weeks away. But while his offense has been a huge boost to Philadelphia, it's his defensive impact that could be a game-changer for the team.
And for both George and the team to reach their full potential this postseason, he needs to seek inspiration from a player that 76ers fans should be very familiar with.
Paul George can learn a lesson from Andre Iguodala
In a recent episode of "The Zach Lowe Show," Wosny Lambre pointed out that George's best role is to be "the ultimate glue guy" for the 76ers and be someone who can fill the margins, much like what Andre Iguodala did during his time with the Golden State Warriors.
"Just seeing how he's come back, and the answer is that he's come back phenomenally," Lambre said about George. "He looks incredible in terms of the shot looks great. He's moving incredibly well, and I think that's important on the defensive end specifically. ... Him just being the ultimate glue guy, playing the [Andre] Iguodala role from Golden State on this team, he's obviously way over-qualified and extremely overpaid to be doing that role, but he's incredible at it."
Iguodala spent the first eight years of his NBA career with the 76ers after they drafted him ninth overall in 2004. During his time with the team, he averaged 15.3 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 4.9 APG, and 1.7 SPG. He consistently received Defensive Player of the Year votes (finishing as high as seventh in 2011-12), and he was a two-time All-Defensive Team selection (first team and second team one time each). And he was a one-time All-Star.
He was the main guy in Philadelphia for quite some time and helped the team ease into the post-Allen Iverson era, after they traded him to the Denver Nuggets in 2006. But he ultimately made his way to the Golden State Warriors, completely changed his role, and became a big part of their dynasty.
In Golden State, Iguodala wasn't "the guy" anymore. His numbers dipped. He took a backseat behind the young trio of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green. And instead of trying to average 15+ PPG every night, he became more of a connector, someone who locked in defensively and put most of his energy there while also becoming more of a passer and decision-maker.
Iguodala won the Finals MVP award in 2014-15, mostly because of his defensive efforts on LeBron James (he limited the then-Cleveland Cavaliers star to 38.1 FG% when guarding him), but also because of his ability to step up in big moments when the Warriors needed him to (25 points in the series-clinching Game 6).
He wasn't the main guy in Golden State, but without him, they probably don't win as many titles as they did (four). And it's because he bought into his role and played it well.
What does this look like for Paul George?
George's situation is very different from Iguodala's. He clearly still has a lot more in the tank (and was a better player to begin with anyway), and he's not playing with Curry, Thompson, and Green. But in many ways, he can still pull off a similar feat.
The California native can still hoop (his latest games are proof of that), but the 76ers may be in a better place if he conserves some energy (particularly for the defensive side of the ball), and take a backseat to Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid, and maybe VJ Edgecombe by giving them more run with the ball and focusing more on ball movement and quick decision-making.
George is going to be a big part of Philadelphia's future moving forward. And if he can buy into the right role, he can help raise the team's ceiling and help them make some noise in the East.