Is Paul George playing tonight? Exploring 76ers star forward's status vs Hawks (Oct. 14)
Paul George is expected to play for the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday night against the Atlanta Hawks. He missed Saturday's game against the Boston Celtics, citing rest after playing Friday against the Minnesota Timberwolves. George is not on the 76ers injury report, and the Sixers haven't ruled him out for the rest of the preseason, unlike Joel Embiid.
George had a healthy offseason after finishing his last year with the LA Clippers injury-free following their first-round series loss to the Dallas Mavericks. He looked in good shape against the Timberwolves, too. George scored a game-high 23 points on 8-of-15 shooting, including 4-of-9 from 3-point range. He added six rebounds, two assists and a steal.
Paul George's Sixers debut generates optimism about team's postseason dreams
Paul George's impressive debut for the Sixers in the preseason has looked encouraging for the team's hopes of breaking its conference finals jinx. He looked like a seamless fit next to Tyrese Maxey, emerging as the offensive spark plug the Eastern Conference contended needed in the past few seasons.
He's definitely the most versatile wing Philadelphia has had in the Joel Embiid era because of his scoring ability. Maxey or Embiid won't have to bother about George creating for himself. Meanwhile, "PG" won't have the pressure of handling multiple responsibilities like he did with the Clippers.
He can play more off-ball and contribute efficiently without worrying about playmaking or leading the scoring attack nightly. At 34, a balanced workload could be the best way to optimize George.
He struggled carrying multiple roles during his Clippers stint and playing out of position. George even complained about contributing as one of the "dirty guys" on the team following James Harden's arrival after LA's playoffs exit.
"We lost RoC [Covington], we lost Nico [Batum]," George said on his podcast in June.
"Those were our glue guys. Like, that was our defenders. ... KJ Martin as well. That was our energy, our young legs. I think that's kind of where you get to late in the year and we just weren't as good as we could have been. I think losing those guys kind of hurt us.
"They would go get rebounds, they would block shots, they would rotate. They were defensive guys. ...They did a lot of the dirty work. ... Now myself, Kawhi [Leonard], we become the dirty guys and have to score too. And it was just a lot."
Paul George won't have to worry about these things in Philly. The Sixers have done a solid job constructing their roster this offseason, maximizing their cap space flexibility to surround their big three with the necessary talent.
How to watch Paul George and Sixers in action vs. the Hawks?
NBA TV will televise the game between the Sixers and the Hawks. NBC Sports Philadelphia and Bally Sports Southeast will provide coverage in local areas. Fans outside the local regions and the US can watch the game online via NBA League Pass from 7:30 p.m. EDT onwards.