The Philadelphia 76ers defeated the LA Clippers on Monday night in dramatic fashion with a fourth period comeback led by Tyrese Maxey and Quentin Grimes.
The game also marked the season debut for Paul George,
the nine-time NBA All-Star who has been sidelined to start the 2025-26 campaign. He’s missed the first 12 games of the season after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery over the summer for an injury suffered in an offseason workout. Throughout last season, we weren’t able to see much of PG either, with the 35-year-old forward playing just 41 games before being finally shut down in March due to a number of injuries to his knee and groin.
So, let’s see how he did.
The first half:
George played 10 minutes and 39 seconds in his first half of basketball back in 259 days. There was some good, some bad, and some ugly — as should be expected after such a hiatus. It started strong for PG, who scored the Sixers’ first five points of the game on a triple and two free throws. He looked aggressive with the ball and seemed to be moving pretty comfortably throughout, even if a bit tired.
The second half:
With the shots just not falling for George, he was able to contribute with some good defense and with a couple of dimes in the second half. He was also able to take advantage of the Sixers being in the bonus for a good chunk of the third frame, taking a few trips to the charity stripe. He missed a few from the line, but shot 4-for-7 free throws overall throughout the game.
Overall
George finished the night with nine points on 2-for-9 field goal shooting (1-for-4 from long range) and was 4-for-7 from the free throw line in 21:06 played. He grabbed seven boards and tacked on three assists and looked decent on the defensive end, even while fatigued, putting up two blocks. George committed just one turnover.
The scoring and shooting obviously leave a lot to be desired but, honestly, I don’t think many of these shots were necessarily bad shots. The opportunities were there and weren’t feeling forced, it just might take a little time to start sinking shots consistently as George gets reacclimated to game speed.
Even without the shots falling, though, George found ways to contribute on the boards, passing and defensively where he could. The way PG was moving on and off the ball in general inspires cautious optimism in his agility and health, it just (understandably) might take a bit for the stat sheet to start showing typical Paul George-level numbers — 259 days is a long time between games!
What did you see in George’s return that gives you a sliver of hope? What makes you pessimistic? Let us know in the comments below!
