The Philadelphia 76ers probably never thought that Paul George was ever going to return to being a dominant force on the offensive end. Well, that still holds water in reality, but the veteran forward has returned to being an active threat as a scorer, which is something fans probably did not see coming in view of how he has fared for the most part in his first two seasons with the franchise.
Since coming back from a league suspension that caused him to miss 25 games, George has been firing on all cylinders. He has averaged 21 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 2.2 steals a night since returning while shooting 47.2 percent from the field and 41.5 percent from beyond the arc, underscoring what has easily been the best stretch in his 76ers tenure thus far.
But beyond the raw numbers, it is refreshing to see George be this assertive when it comes to shooting the rock. Since stepping foot in Philly, the nine-time All-Star has drawn significant flak for his passive play across the board, willingly playing the role of a complementary piece when he was billed as someone who was capable of getting the 76ers over the hump.
The 76ers have given Paul George back a role not a lot of people saw coming
The 76ers brought George in to be a highly impactful secondary option who can give them a lot of spacing alongside secondary playmaking and malleability on the defensive end. Instead, the 36-year-old has had real problems staying consistent not only on the health department, but also on the hardwood.
The main culprit? His shot frequency. Before getting handed down a suspension, George was averaging just 13.1 field goal attempts per outing. Last season, he tallied 13.9 shots on the average. During his recent stretch, George has put up 15.9 attempts from the field per game –– a sharp increase from those earlier figures.
Of course, with two other ball-dominant, high-octane scorers surrounding him in Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, it was only natural for George to see his numbers dip due to his volume getting capped. That is more so the case this season with VJ Edgecombe getting into the thick of things as another mouth to feed on the scoring department.
Now, with Embiid sidelined anew, it is now incumbent upon Paul George to help propel the team in the postseason (that is, if they get there). He has the most playoff experience out of the regular guys, and without him playing aggressively, a premature exit sounds like a surefire outcome.