The Philadelphia 76ers won their fourth game of the season on Saturday, taking their record to 4-14 over their first 18 games. Nick Nurse’s team has looked like anything but a contending-level unit. Even the offseason addition of Paul George has failed to galvanize the team.
Despite their rocky start, the Sixers will undoubtedly hope their 111-96 win over the Detroit Pistons is a sign they’re turning the corner. George’s commitment to getting his teammates involved was a significant change in the team’s overall approach. He shone as a playmaking forward rather than the spearhead of the offense.
When speaking to the media after the game, George admitted that a change in his mindset could be here to stay.
“I mean, that’s just the mindset I’m shifting to: just be a playmaker,” George said. “Scoring will happen. Shots will fall. I just want to make winning plays and I think the way we want to play is [to] attack, create, open the floor up, everybody make plays for one another. That’s what I was able to do, get to the paint. I saw they were collapsing a lot and from there, it was [my goal to] find the open man.”
George will always draw a defensive crowd. His reputation as one of the best forwards in the league means opposing teams will always respect the threat he poses as a scorer. That’s what will allow him to carve teams open as a passer, especially when attacking double-teams and finding the open man.
Philadelphia has enough offensive firepower to make things work with George setting the table. When healthy, both Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid will thrive off the additional attention the veteran forward garners. While they remain on the shelf, Nurse will likely preach off-ball movement and cutting to ensure there’s enough space and passing lanes to get the best out of the offensive unit.
The Sixers needed to do something. They were floundering with little signs of finding a way out of their current mess. George offered a lifeline, and it immediately led to a win. The Sixers should at least explore the new approach in the coming weeks because, right now, they have nothing else to lose.
If it works, great. They can climb the Eastern Conference and put the slow start behind them.
If the change fails, then it’s back to the drawing board before potentially accepting changes need to be made around the Feb. 6 trade deadline.