‘Impossible' to replace suspended George, but Sixers know the blueprint originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
Joel Embiid made no effort to minimize the magnitude of Paul George’s suspension.
“Impossible,” Embiid said Saturday night when asked about replacing George. “I know people have mixed feelings about what he brings to the table, but you can’t replace it. He does everything for us. Defensively, probably our best perimeter defender. Offensively, he can play so many roles — knock down shots, post up, creation, playmaking. Can’t replace it. It’s going to be tough moving forward, but we’ve just got to try.”
One silver lining for the Sixers is that Embiid can make everything around him appear irrelevant when he’s at or near his top level. He scored 40 points Saturday night for the first time in the regular season since January of 2024 and the Sixers pulled out a 124-114 win over the Pelicans.
Of course, life for the Sixers without George isn’t as simple as tossing the ball to Embiid and hoping for the best. The 35-year-old forward was suspended 25 games Saturday for violating the NBA’s anti-drug policy. Sixers head coach Nick Nurse indicated he won’t be entirely separate from the team during his suspension.
“He’s still part of the team,” Nurse said. “He can’t play the games but is still allowed in the facility and practices and all that stuff. We’re going to make sure those things continue to happen to get him back. And I just told him listen, as with all our players dealing with this type of stuff, we care about him. We’re here to help him … in any way possible. Got to get through it the best way we can, and then go from there.”
No Sixer shared any further information about the circumstances of George’s suspension. He told ESPN’s Shams Charania he “made the mistake of taking an improper medication” while “seeking treatment” for a mental health issue.
“I obviously don’t have all the details,” Embiid said. “All we know is whatever was tweeted, so it’s hard to comment on it. But I know Paul. He means well. We’re going to hold down the fort until he comes back.”
The suspension has many on-court ripple effects.
Dominick Barlow rejoined the starting lineup Saturday. Trendon Watford and Jabari Walker returned to the rotation. Jared McCain played a major role off the bench, sinking four three-pointers and meshing well with Embiid. After taking just three field goals over 37 minutes in the Sixers’ victory Thursday vs. the Kings, Kelly Oubre Jr. had a strong all-around night with 19 points, 10 rebounds and four assists.
“As soon as the news came out, I hit Jared, Justin (Edwards), Trendon: ‘Listen, y’all got to be ready,’” Tyrese Maxey said. “I know Kelly’s going to be ready; that’s just who he is. But Jared, Justin, Trendon … those three guys haven’t played in playoff basketball. And last year we weren’t good, so we didn’t play meaningful basketball.
“Now, going into the All-Star break, we want to be playing the right away. After the All-Star break, we want to be stepping in the right directions and we want to be looking toward trying to get into position for the postseason. So we need those guys to really step up and play good basketball for us.”
Notably, Embiid didn’t rest much against the Kings.
He logged 39 minutes and was fresh enough to nail crunch-time jumpers. The seven-time All-Star’s left knee still requires regular maintenance, but it hasn’t looked problematic lately. Embiid’s averaged 29.9 points, 8.5 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.0 blocks since Dec. 12.
He’s dramatically exceeded his own expectations after playing just 19 games last year and undergoing arthroscopic surgery in April. Embiid on Saturday credited Sixers vice president of athlete care Simon Rice for being “the one guy that’s just kept trying to figure it out” and spoke at length about his gratitude.
“Honestly, it’s surprising,” Embiid said. “Coming into this year, I thought it was going to be more of a tryout year for me. This year has already been successful because coming into the year, it was all about figuring out, ‘What’s the schedule? How are we going to do this moving forward?’
“Trying to figure out how the knee is going to respond every single day. We started the year with at least two days off after every game. Now we’ve been doing it every other day. It’s been going well. … So to me, this year is already a success, but that doesn’t change my mentality as far as wanting to get better every single day. Keep pushing.”
For the teammates who have seen Embiid’s full-blown dominance firsthand, this quality of play isn’t stunning. And with George now out of the picture, the Sixers want their star big man to stay rolling.
“I’ve seen him score 40 countless times,” Oubre said. “I never doubted that he’d be able to get back to that point. Super proud of him. I know that he’s gone through a lot of adversity over these past few years and it’s just good to see him smiling, it’s good to see him happy, it’s good to see him celebrating and trolling. More to come.”
