Contrary to league-wide expectations before the 2024-25 season began, the Philadelphia 76ers managed to prove everyone wrong, turning out to be the biggest disaster in the NBA. At this point, all hopes of making the playoffs — a massive drop in expectation from their once glimmering title aspirations — have evaporated into thin air.
There are a bevy of factors to point out here if you want to indulge in the blame game, but the 76ers have absolutely zero excuse for letting this season slip into the hellhole it currently is. Aside from their best player playing like a fringe All-Star, several of their offseason acquisition have not panned out. In fact, some have already been phased out.
One player who has notably tallied a huge stinker all season long is Paul George. The nine-time All-Star, whom the 76ers signed to a maximum deal in free agency without second thought, has seen a ginormous decline in production in his first year in Philadelphia.
Paul George gets no love for poor season for the 76ers in latest NBA player rankings
George has been so underwhelming this season that he could very well not make an All-Star team anymore. In fact, our team’s recent NBA player rankings perfectly sum up what fans and pundits alike think of the All-Star forward.
Slotted in at No. 65, George has become a sudden afterthought. He finds himself behind the likes of Norman Powell, Josh Hart, and Austin Reaves — a deflating turn of events for someone who actually registered his most efficient shooting year just last season.
Averaging 16.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per outing on 43.2 percent shooting from the field, including a measly 35.8 percent conversion rate from three-point territory, George may have just registered the most drastic and unprecedented year-to-year decline from a star in recent memory.
It also did not help that he suffered a couple of injuries to begin his first foray into Philly, snapping his rhythm and disallowing him from gelling with his teammates. Still. He has not been assertive at all as a secondary scorer, playing too passively much to the disdain of fans.
The 76ers envisioned George as a flamethrower in the perimeter who can create his own shot and playmaker when needed while also being a functional defender. Sadly, none of those have manifested this season.
Paul George still has a lot of time to prove that this season is an aberration. However, Father Time is knocking at his door, and should he quickly succumb to it, the Philadelphia 76ers will be in for a long stretch of mediocrity.