The on-court fit seems ideal. George is a big wing, capable of hitting threes at a high volume and playmaking for himself and others. He’s also a four-time All-Defensive Team pick, often taking on the toughest defensive assignment and using his massive wingspan to get deflections and steals.
While the fact that George is 34 years old will understandably come with concern, there’s a benefit to that as well. He’s seen a lot in his 14 NBA seasons.
As a young player, he was the No. 1 option for an Indiana Pacers team that gave LeBron James and Miami’s Heatles all they could handle in the postseason. He enjoyed a couple of his best seasons playing alongside Russell Westbrook with the Oklahoma City Thunder, becoming an MVP finalist in 2018-19. And he spent the last five seasons in Los Angeles with the Clippers, trying to make things work alongside the freakishly talented but oft-injured Kawhi Leonard and a rotating cast of characters.
No, George has never made the Finals, but he has a wealth of experience to draw on. He knows how to fit in with other superstars — and knows how to win with them.
“I know what I’m out there to do,” George said. “That’s ultimately put the ball in the basket and try to guard the best player on the other team. Again, with that, it’s at times throughout the course of the year … it’s going to be a long season. But the three of us, I think, can carry a ton of that workload. I look forward to playing with such a presence in Joel. I don’t think I’ve played with someone at that level and that size that dominates, so I’m really looking forward to what that looks like on the floor.”
Another thing George has experienced throughout his career is a wide array of criticism. This is a guy who’s heard it all, from the media to the fans to former teammates and coaches.
Sure, there will be moments where the team struggles and George might give an answer that will go viral, but at least he’ll give answers. So will Maxey.
And that’s an underrated aspect of this: Embiid will still face the most scrutiny, but he’s got two high-profile teammates to help lighten the load.
With respect to Simmons and Harden, it never felt like Embiid truly connected with either. That’s pretty apparent when you consider the terms both guys left the Sixers on and the fact that neither seems to have a relationship with Embiid now.
In George, Embiid has a teammate he not only wants to play with, but that he wants to bond with.
“I think what kind of hit it home is [Embiid and I] had a conversation before these [free agency] convos even started,” George said. “It was basically like, man, he opened up to me. ‘I don’t have a lot of people I talk to. I keep to myself.’ But he was like, ‘man, regardless of what goes on, I look at you as someone that I want to be friends with for a long part of my life.’ That was deep to me, because we knew each other but we didn’t know each other on that level yet. For him to just open up to me, it kind of just felt right.”
Who knows what all of this will mean when the games are played, but it seems like a solid foundation to build upon.
George is excited to play alongside Embiid and welcomes the pressure that comes with being a handsomely-paid athlete in Philly.
“At the end of the day, it’s brotherly love, right?,” he said. “So I’m looking forward to it. I think pressure is good, I think intensity is good, and that’s what you get up for. You want the fans to be fired up. You want them to put that pressure on you to go out, perform, and win games. That’s our job, so I’m looking forward to it.”
The pressure is coming.
The term “all-in” was thrown around an awful lot by George, president of basketball operations Daryl Morey and managing partner Josh Harris. The Sixers are all-in on George. George is all-in on Philly and the Sixers.
Perhaps, most importantly, the team’s superstar big is all-in on George.
Joel Embiid is an introvert. That might be hard for some to believe. After all, this is a guy who got on the NBA’s radar for his Twitter presence first. Unfortunately, even Embiid’s step back from social media and step up to MVP-caliber play hasn’t been enough to discard that first impression.
Over the years, co-stars have come and gone — Ben Simmons, Jimmy Butler, James Harden. Outside of Butler, Embiid didn’t seem to connect with the others. Tyrese Maxey is beloved by Embiid because, well ... have you seen and heard Tyrese Maxey?
While Paul George was the best option for the Sixers in free agency for myriad reasons, his previous relationship with Embiid is no small thing.
“I’ve always been a fan of Tyrese and Joel from afar,” George said. “And Joel has secretly been one of my closest All-Star Game friends. It kind of felt inevitable that at some point, we would link up and be teammates.”
Now, the relationship between Embiid and George will be far from a secret. In fact, that pairing will be dissected and discussed on a near-daily basis once the 2024-25 NBA season begins.
And not just here in Philadelphia. The first losing streak will provide TV debate shows and sports talk radio all the chum they need. You can already see the chyrons and Twitter polls: Did the Sixers make a mistake signing Paul George?
During his introductory press conference Tuesday at the Sixers practice facility in Camden, New Jersey, George seemed ready for it. In fact, the nine-time All-Star seemed to embrace it.
“Be as critical and as hard as you can,” he said. “I think it’s going to work out for myself and for the team. I’m looking forward to that. I’m not scared or shying away from that at any point, at any stage.”
While the fact that George is 34 years old will understandably come with concern, there’s a benefit to that as well. He’s seen a lot in his 14 NBA seasons.
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