Paul George's first season with the Philadelphia 76ers has been snakebitten, to say the least. Coming over from the Los Angeles Clippers as a free agent over the summer PG-13 has missed 11 games already and struggled to adjust to his new environment when on the court, averaging merely 16.5 points per game after putting up 22.6 last season in Los Angeles.
This was obviously not how it was supposed to go when George signed a $211 million deal with Philly this offseason. However, it is not entirely his fault, as the Sixers have been plagued by an unusually brutal sequence of injuries across the roster and have missed their best player, Joel Embiid, for all but 13 of the 36 games played so far. In the former MVP's absence George has been asked to play small-ball center in short stretches. On Friday night, he gave an honest review of doing so and clearly wasn't a fan.
Speaking to reporters about guarding opposing centers when Embiid is out, George bluntly complained that he's "bored" when he has to do that while acknowledging the defensive benefit it provides.
"It's different," George said to assembled media after a particularly bad loss to the New Orleans Pelicans. "I'm used to scrapping and running around and chasing, fighting through screens. To be honest, I'm bored. Playing on a five just don't do enough for me. But, I think, being mindful of my ability to clog the middle and help and cut off passing lanes and driving lanes, kind of battle with the bigs is what Nick [Nurse] sees in that style. But I enjoy chasing the little guys and matching up against a wing."
There’s no way Paul George actually said “I’m bored” during a press conference 😭😭😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/q74YV3heH9
— ᴅ ʀ ᴇ ᴡ (@FeelLikeDrew) January 11, 2025
George has been named to four All-Defense teams throughout his career as, primarily, the guy who locks up opposing wings. One can understand where he's coming from. Nurse and his 76ers teammates may wish he delivered it a little differently, though.
No matter how bored George might get, it seems likely the Sixers will need him to keep filling that role. Embiid's health problems aren't going away and a lot of work must be done to ensure Philly doesn't fall out of the postseason picture entirely, even with over half the season remaining.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Paul George Had Blunt Complaint About Playing Center for 76ers Amid Joel Embiid Injury.
