Paul George responds to fans doubting his game

George joined the 76ers on a four-year, $212 million deal signed in 2024. That kind of contract brought plenty of expectations with it, but his first season in Philadelphia didn’t go to plan, as injuries kept him from ever finding real consistency.

This year hasn’t started much better. George has only played in ten games so far and got off to a slow start before showing some signs of form more recently.

Addressing those who think his best days are behind him, George had this to say:

“I mean, prior to coming here, I was coming off one of my most efficient seasons. All-Star that year. I didn’t see myself being washed that fast, but I knew. I knew that this league is about what you can do now, and they tend to forget everything that I have done.

“So, it was a bit of motivation going into the summer to just get healthy and kind of let everything else take care of itself.”

Philadelphia 76ers need Paul George to step up and play like a borderline All-Star

When the 76ers handed George that contract, they were banking on him being one of their top offensive options and a steady presence in the locker room.

Philadelphia sits at 14-11, holding seventh place in the East. With how open the conference looks this season, there’s still plenty of opportunity for them to climb.

But it starts with their two stars in Joel Embiid and George. They need Embiid to be healthy and George to play how he has in his last two games.

If that happens, along with Tyrese Maxey’s continued strong play, the 76ers could be a big sleeper come playoff time.