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Paul George should know better.
Paul George has to be better.
He knows this. He knows the Philadelphia 76ers will bear the brunt of a gargantuan error, which is why he took full responsibility in the statement he provided to The Athletic. As news surfaced Saturday afternoon that Philly’s starting small forward would be suspended for 25 games for violating the league’s performance enhancing drug policy, the implications were immediate and far-reaching, and they may change how the 76ers operate with the trade deadline approaching.
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Philadelphia can still trade George. But with his hefty contract and him not being available until the end of March, moving him now becomes even more unlikely.
So, what do the 76ers do?
George isn’t the offensive player he once was. He doesn’t have the same vertical lift when he gets to the basket. He doesn’t have the same explosion off the dribble.
But he’s still a good offensive player and still capable of being a significant offensive engine. Heck, he just scored 32 points against the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday night, in a game where he looked like the Paul George of old. More importantly, he’s been Philadelphia’s best and most versatile defender this season by a good margin. He’s been their best connector. And he’s been able to effectively step up and make shots around Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid, when there are shots to be made.
These are principal reasons the 76ers are 16-11 this season with George in the lineup. Those are principal reasons they are a mere 10-10 when he doesn’t play.
If the 76ers don’t go out and find wing help on the trade market this week, they are going to be thin on true wings with a team that already could have used another rotational wing. If the Sixers don’t find a way, whether on the trade market or on the roster, to replace George’s ability to defend and switch through the lineup, they are going to be short of plus defenders on a team that could have used another plus defender or two.
In the immediate aftermath, social media was filled with comments noting that George will at least be healthy for a potential Philadelphia playoff run. My immediate thought: the Sixers have to get to the postseason first.
Where’s Jim Mora’s playoff rant when we need it? (Oh, here we go.)
Philadelphia enters Saturday night’s matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans at 26-21. They are in the sixth spot in the Eastern Conference, but just one game ahead of the eighth spot. They are only 3.5 games up on the 10th spot, with a difficult five-game West Coast trip up next. The New York Knicks await when the Sixers return home as they head into the All-Star break.
In other words, the Sixers have a lot of thinking to do.
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They are going to have to figure out how they want to proceed this week ahead of the trade deadline knowing they won’t have a major piece, someone who is still their third best player, in the rotation. And they are going to have to do it on the heels of Embiid’s not-so-subtle hint Thursday night that he would like to see the front office go out and improve the roster.
The big picture matters. The perception matters.
No matter how well George was playing defensively, he can now appear in only 37 games this season. He played 41 games last season. Sixers fans will rightfully think they aren’t getting enough bang for their proverbial buck after signing George in free agency.
One thing to note is that the Sixers will receive significant luxury-tax relief, since George is being suspended without pay. That helps financially, but it doesn’t do anything to help the pickle the Sixers are in from a basketball standpoint. Another thing to note: George is still eligible to be traded and if the Sixers make a significant move, he’s the one who could realistically be moved.
Most importantly, Saturday night was supposed to be one of celebration. The Sixers’ 25th anniversary team — the 2001 team that made the NBA Finals, led by Allen Iverson — is being honored. Many of the former players from that team are in town. It was meant to be one of the glamour nights of the season.
Instead, the Sixers are going to have to address losing George for 25 games. They are going to have to address how they are going to adjust in his absence. They are going to have to address their feelings and emotions of the situation. They are going to have to address how they are going to deal with a rotation that suddenly has a gaping hole.
In that sense, I don’t envy the Sixers.
For a franchise that seemingly deals annually with abnormality, this season has been abnormally normal. That ended on Saturday afternoon. The calm seas are gone, replaced by the choppy waters of uncertainty. How the franchise proceeds in the next five days could very well dictate how the remainder of the season goes.
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Maxey and Embiid? They now have even more of a load to carry. V.J. Edgecombe? The training wheels are off — now, he’s going to have to be the third scorer in games that truly matter. Quentin Grimes and Kelly Oubre Jr.? Their scoring acumen will be appreciated, but they will have to also step up and replace the defense vacated by George.
For the Sixers to stay in the top six of the Eastern Conference, the margin for error is now razor thin. They have to play great basketball. The stars will have to stay available. Role players will have to play at their levels and maybe even above. And a rookie many think can be a star now has more pressure than ever to sharpen the development curve.
That’s what one mistake does to a franchise. That’s how quickly a direction can change.
Now, we’ll see how the Sixers manage that direction, on and off the court.