The All-Star break could not have been more timely for the Philadelphia 76ers. Losers of their last five games, the team now parades a 20-34 record heading into the week-long break, firmly cemented at 11th place in the Eastern Conference with just 28 games left on schedule.
Now having the sixth-worst record in the NBA, this season stands out as one of the most disappointing single-season campaigns in league history, especially in account of the amount of sheer talent on the roster. Game after game, the 76ers continue to invent ways to disappoint everyone, and their stars have similarly done the same.
Having emerged as the biggest talking point in the league from last night, Paul George somehow set the bar for himself even lower this season. Amid arguably the steepest decline from an All-Star in recent years, the nine-time All-Star went to Brooklyn and helped the 76ers in their losing effort with two points. And no, your glasses aren’t blurry.
The 76ers are shooting themselves in the foot by forcing Paul George to play through injury
George’s failure to resemble his All-Star form this season can be pointed out to a myriad of factors — majority of which the 76ers should have seen coming — but it seems like the team is also one to blame for his absolute stinkers (even by this season’s standards) as of late.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, George has been playing through injury and has gotten injections to deal with the pain over the last four to five games.
The All-Star has already gone through various injuries this season. He notably hyperextended his knee on two, separate occasions to start the season — disrupting his rhythm and contributing to his decline.
Where to the 76ers stand on this? Well, it would appear that they are amenable to letting him play through the pain, which is definitely puzzling given that they are unlikely to do much this season anyway. By forcing one of their main cogs to play through injury, they are only affecting their ability to make him appealable for another team while also hampering him further as he already is.
The All-Star break should afford the Philadelphia 76ers with a much-needed refresher, but really, their win-loss card cannot be flipped easily. And given that their hopes of winning the championship are close to nil, it would be in their best interest to just compel Paul George to it out games until he is fully healthy.