It’s no well-kept secret that the 2024-2025 season did not go the way anyone tied to the Philadelphia 76ers organization expected. That was especially true for incoming superstar Paul George, who was fresh off a five-year stint in Los Angeles with the Clippers.
George’s season was a struggle before it even began. In the preseason, he suffered a hyperextended left knee against the Atlanta Hawks, which caused a bone bruise that kept Paul sidelined Nov. 4 against the Phoenix Suns. He played just eight more games before suffering yet another bone bruise to the same knee, which caused him to miss an additional three games and lingered throughout the rest of the season.
George would also develop a strained groin and a tear in his fifth finger that would eventually end his first season in Philadelphia with just 41 games played. In his first season as a Sixers, Paul George averaged just 16.2 points, his lowest since in a decade.
“It was tough,” George said. “It was a lot for me, I think, from a mental standpoint; a lot of stuff that was just going on that I was trying to balance while being in a new situation. There was internal stuff for me, there was personal stuff for me, there were the fires that were going on out west, where my home is. There was frustration from injuries and then holding myself accountable for not playing to the expectation that I had coming into the season.
“There was just a ton of stuff. Just a ton of stuff that was weighing on me that going into next year, I’ll kind of be free from a lot of those and alleviated from a lot of those. And so I do expect a better season. I expect a better turnaround for myself, [and] for this team.”
This season has certainly been a challenge for the Sixers as a team, but specifically for George. The weight of the four-year max deal is on his shoulders. The pressure coming into Philadelphia as the supposed final piece to constant post-season disappointment. The weight of helplessness upon his shoulders as he suffered through not now, not two, but three lingering injuries.
In all likelihood, Paul George is not going anywhere. He still has three years and north of $162 million due on his current deal, and even if Philadelphia actively looked to move George, finding a landing spot that provided positive value in return seems unlikely. It’s difficult to imagine an early divorce.
