Paul George and Lou Williams played nearly two seasons together with the Los Angeles Clippers, but that didn’t stop the three-time Sixth Man of the Year from being brutally honest about his former teammate’s debut season with the Philadelphia 76ers. George was recently shut down for the rest of the year with knee and adductor injuries, but that’s just the latest indignity in what’s been a season to forget for George and his new team.
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The Sixers signed George away from the Clippers last summer for four years and $212 million, a move that GM Daryl Morey hoped would push Philly toward the top of the Eastern Conference. On paper, it made sense, as pairing George with former MVP Joel Embiid and up-and-coming All-Star Tyrese Maxey gave the Sixers what looked to be an extremely formidable trio.
None of Philly’s plans have come to fruition. Embiid has battled health issues all season long, as has George. Even when George has been able to play, his numbers and general effectiveness are way down, which is why the Sixers are 23-45 and bound for the NBA lottery.
Williams was asked to give a grade to George’s first season in Philly, and he really didn’t have a choice but to give it an F. “We started this year with championship aspirations for this group, and Paul George was that piece that they brought in to get them to that point, to get them over that hump.”
Williams pointed to injuries as the main reason George hasn’t played to his customary level, but he’s hopeful that, given the time to heal up before next year, PG will come back stronger than ever and ready to lead the Sixers back to the playoffs.
Everything that could go wrong for the Sixers did go wrong this year
Danny Green wasn’t quite as harsh as Williams. Green said he’d give the Sixers an F as a team, but that George deserved a D+ or C-. “He wasn’t expected to be the iso guy or the No. 1 main option. He came here to be the third option, so having to do that when you’re not expected to do that individually, I know that’s an adjustment.”
The trio of Embiid, George and Maxey barely got to play together this year. Embiid missed the start of the season and only played in 19 games before being shut down. George will end the year playing in exactly half of the team’s 82 games. Even promising rookie Jared McCain tore his meniscus in December and has been out ever since.
Lou Williams gives Paul George’s first season with the 76ers an ‘F’
“The positive about it is, now he understands what Philadelphia is about.”@MichelleDBeadle | @TeamLou23 | @DGreen_14 pic.twitter.com/slCWu7mFlN
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) March 18, 2025
Can the Sixers bounce back next year like Williams says? The good news is that things probably can’t get any worse. The problem, though, is that Embiid and George have two of the worst contracts in the NBA, so it’s hard to see a path forward for Philly to become real contenders unless both players miraculously heal and turn back the clock.
It’s extremely unlikely that Morey would be able to trade either one, and if the Sixers lose their first-round pick to the Thunder (something that will happen if Philadelphia finishes outside the top six), then all the pain Philly fans have gone through this season will have been for nothing.
At least they have the Eagles.
