Apr 13, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers head coach Nick Nurse addresses the media with president of basketball operations Daryl Morey after the game against the Chicago Bulls at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

'They Need to Teach Them How to be Pros' – Philadelphia 76ers’ Nick Nurse Wants Paul George to Take On Mentorship Role

Originally posted on Hardwood Heroics | By Jordan Samar | Last updated Oct 2, 2025 11:48 PM ET

Nick Nurse is calling on Paul George to take on a much different role this upcoming season. In a recent episode of PHLY Sports, the Philadelphia 76ers head coach wants George to be more of a mentor for the team’s younger players.

In the past two years, the Philadelphia 76ers have gotten younger with the draft selections of Jared McCain and VJ Edgecombe. The team still also has Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, so George no longer has to be the main man.

“Let’s start with the vets. First of all, I think that they are here, especially with so many young guys, in a capacity to teach, right? They need to teach these guys how to be pros, kind of some ins and outs of the league,” Nurse explained.

“There Had Been Some Overtures” - Former Philadelphia 76ers Star Could Return After Repairing Several Relationships 7 Feb 20, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George (8) warms up before a game against the Boston Celtics at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

“I sat down with Paul George for a long time the other day, and I was like listen, you are a great like defensive player, and there’s a lot of tricks, anticipation things, like you need to teach these guys this like quick. Teach them how to, you know, the cheat codes or whatever they are to get them up to speed quicker,” he added.

Philadelphia 76ers News: Nick Nurse shares key Joel Embiid update

Nick Nurse also addressed Joel Embiid’s health heading into this year during the Philadelphia 76ers’ Media Day, and the one-time NBA champion coach is encouraged with what he’s seeing from the former league MVP.

Apr 5, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid reacts after the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

“I think the encouraging things are some of the stuff that he’s said that he looks good, right? He’s feeling pretty good,” Nurse stated about Embiid. “He’s got some boxes to tick to get, you know, keep it going, but it looks more encouraging.”

“You know, I think he said he feels a lot better this year at this time of year than he did a year ago. So, that’s got to be a positive step in the right direction. We’re looking forward to getting him back with the group,” he added.