Paul George’s first season with the Philadelphia 76ers has been underwhelming, to say the least. Not only is the 34-year-old struggling to produce anywhere near the All-Star level, but he’s also taking injections to play through his pain this year. Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson discussed George’s conundrum on a recent episode of Night Cap.
Advertisement
Most players wouldn’t go through the lengths that George has to play through his injuries during the regular season. Sharpe acknowledged that injections are typically used to help players power through injuries during the important postseason matchups, not random regular season games.
The pair discussed whether it was time for the Sixers to give PG a rest amidst his on-court struggles and persevering injuries.
Ochocinco highlighted George’s ghastly averages this year, the lowest since his third season in 2012-13. The former Bengals star knows that’s not normal for the nine-time All-Star and questioned why George was trying so hard to play if he’s hurting so badly. “Cause [George is] making $50 million a year,” Sharpe responded bluntly.
Ochocinco was still confused as to why George would deliberately play through injury only to hurt his team and his own numbers in the process. “What happened is Ocho, is that [George] is with a new team,” Sharpe responded. “And when you go to a new team, you wanna put your best foot forward.”
Sharpe knows PG is trying to make as good of a first impression as he can on the Philly faithful. The 34-year-old has put his body through hardship in an attempt to appease his new fanbase, a gesture that Sharpe believes wouldn’t have happened if George was still with the Los Angeles Clippers.
Paul George’s struggles have created pessimism regarding his tenure in Philly
After once being viewed as a massive offseason upgrade over Tobias Harris, the Sixers’ big free-agent swing has been nothing short of a disaster. Following three All-Star appearances in the last four seasons, George’s averages and efficiency have taken a nosedive in year 15.
With three more seasons on his massive four-year, $211 million deal with the team, George won’t be finding a new home anytime soon, either.
Considering George will likely play out the entirety of his new contract in Philadelphia, it may be in the franchise’s best interest to get him as much rest as possible.
With Joel Embiid missing huge chunks of time himself, the 20-35 Sixers are already a longshot to make the playoffs this season. The team might as well regroup and see if it was injuries that held George back or if his prime has simply come to an end.
