"Mostly it's a fit" - Nick Nurse dubs Paul George as missing link on 76ers
Paul George heading to Philadelphia is one of the biggest signings this offseason, and his new head coach, Nick Nurse, already has a position in mind for him. Nurse said that with their current roster and stars, there's a void on the wing in their offense, and he sees George as the missing link:
"Well I think, mostly, it's a fit. We have [Tyrese Maxey] at the 1 and [Joel Embiid] at the 5 kind of as the bookends of the team.... We needed something in the middle."
Paul George has averaged 20.8 points and 6.3 rebounds per game throughout his career while shooting 38.5 percent from behind the line in 14 regular seasons in the NBA. He was an MVP candidate with the Thunder during the 2018-19 season, scoring 28 per game.
"As a wing, scoring wing, he's certainly that ... He's capable of playing both ends," Nurse said. "I think he's capable of being a big shot-maker, late-game shot-maker."
George is coming off an underwhelming five-year stint with the Los Angeles Clippers. He joined them with Kawhi Leonard in hopes of capturing his first NBA championship in his home city. However, the team struggled to stay healthy nearly each year, and only once made it to the Western Conference Finals during his time there.
"He's an experienced guy that can put it in the bucket in a lot of levels," Nurse said. "He can post you a little bit, he can shoot the three, he can handle."
Paul George signed with the Philadelphia Phillies for four years and will make an average of $53 million per season.
Nick Nurse went 47-35 with the 76ers in his first year coaching the team. They finished as a play-in team but went on to secure the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference, eventually losing to the New York Knicks in a six-game series.
Paul George, the perfect fit alongside Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid
The Sixers are set in the paint and on the perimeter because of their two-star players, Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid, but they've struggled to make an impact from the wing for much of Embiid's tenure with the team.
Paul George gives them a dynamic scoring option to fall back on and also provides a playmaking edge from outside, something they've been missing in players like Tobias Harris, who shot just 35 percent from three last season.
Maxey increased his assist average to 6.3 last year, but he's still not a true passer at heart and will benefit from sharing ball-handling responsibilities with George. It'll also allow him to use his speed more in off-ball situations and all-around introduce a new layer to the 76ers' offense.