Despite successive seasons of premature exits, higher expectations are levied on the Philadelphia 76ers next season thanks to the addition of nine-time All-Star Paul George in free agency. With the franchise’s goal of having a Big Three now realized, the team is well-armed to get into the armaggedon for the championship.
Winning the title would not only mean snapping a 41-year drought. For George, who’s now joining his fourth team in his career, it would be a massive vindication for his failed pursuits, some of which he came within arm’s reach of adding the Larry O’Brien trophy to his collection.
Can Paul George finally exorcise his demons with the 76ers?
George has been a part of a lot of winning teams. In his early years, he was the main gunner for those defensive-minded Indiana Pacers teams that got close to unseating the LeBron James-led Miami Heat in the East. Unfortunately, they peaked when the Heat and the San Antonio Spurs went to war in two straight Finals, cratering after George broke his leg in 2014.
Meanwhile, his partnership with Russell Westbrook in Oklahoma City never amounted to anything of significance. Those teams failed to even sniff the Conference Semifinals, and were simply too stale to be considered as legitimate title contenders.
George seemed poised to win a championship with the LA Clippers as Kawhi Leonard’s sidekick, but as everyone knows, injuries smacked them right in the gut when it mattered the most. The culmination was a perplexing exit which led him to the 76ers.
Philadelphia has more raw talent than any team he’s been with (perhaps save for that 2020 Clippers squad), but it would take more than just talent to even get into the Finals. Health is always a question mark with George (and Embiid), but even assuming that they turn in a clean bill of health, tha playoffs are a different story. Heck, George has been up-and-down in the postseason in recent years.
Hopefully, the 76ers finally get to be the ones to hoist Larry next year. If they do, it will be a massive victory not only for the franchise and the city, but also for George, who has flirted with it way too many times to fathom another almost.
