On the heels of a wildly disappointing campaign, the Philadelphia 76ers will be on deck for some pretty tough questions over the summer. While their efforts will primarily be exerted toward the upcoming 2025 NBA Draft and in free agency, where they are looking to re-sign some of their own free agents while also seeking to address actual roster issues, they also have to contemplate about the players already in the fold.
In a perfect world, the 76ers would undergo a fire sale right now given the disaster that has befell them this season. Unfortunately, anything drastic is extremely unlikely at this juncture thanks to their cap limitations and, well, their not-so-distant spending spree. The harsh truth is that the franchise will have to just hope that everyone on the roster improves.
However, one thing that makes everything tougher for the 76ers is the fact that certain players will just find it more difficult to regain their mojo moving forward. Case in point? Look no further than Paul George who, at 34, could already be on his way to a permanent decline.
Wild stat shows the 76ers have a hopeless case in Paul George
George’s production this season has reached role player levels — a stunning development for someone who turned in multiple career-highs shooting the ball in his final season with the Clippers. In fact, to show just how underwhelming he has been as a scoring option on the secondary with Joel Embiid out for the most part, immerse yourselves in this post.
Quentin Grimes officially has more 30 point games than Paul George for the Sixers this season
— Sean Barnard (@Sean_Barnard1) March 11, 2025
Yes, you read that right. Quentin Grimes, who has played just 14 games as a Sixer, has tallied more 30-point games than the nine-time All-Star, finishing with at least 30 points on four different occasions. Meanwhile, George, having already logged 42 appearances for the squad, only has three to his name — two of those he barely finished with 30 points.
George’s lack of aggression this season has been nothing short of dumbfounding. You would think that he should have a lot more leeway to hoist up shots with Embiid out, but instead, his role has started to shrink. If this comparison isn’t any indication of that, I don’t know what is.
This is especially concerning because even if George regains his rhythm, his production would still be limited by his own doing. Not shooting the rock as much as he needs to also does not help him get his mojo back, much to the detriment of the team.
With each passing game that he plays in, the Philadelphia 76ers keep getting sour notes when it comes to Paul George. Unfortunately, unless he fixes this fundamental issue of his, there could be no other remedy available for the team.