Paul George reveals what 'stands out' about 76ers in training camp

NASSAU, THE BAHAMAS — Paul George has been working hard at the Philadelphia 76ers training camp in anticipation of the fun first season with Philly he's about to play.

Reviews of the new star from the rest of his teammates have been promising. Tyrese Maxey was impressed with how effortless he can score. Caleb Martin also liked seeing how George blended in easily. Nick Nurse singled out one side of the ball where the All-Star has excelled.

The 76ers head coach said on Wednesday that he has been “probably most impressed with the way [George] looks defensively. He's doing things that we want to do that we haven't taught yet. He's really got a good knack for where to be and what to do defensively.”

The Sixers' defense has been the first aspect of the team that has impressed George, too.

“I think just our defense stands out, first impression of what this team looks like,” he said. “Just our defense with myself, Caleb [Martin], Kelly [Oubre Jr.], we've been able to really cause chaos on the perimeter…That's what I've taken away from the first couple of days of camp, just the way we were able to get out and shrink the floor, shut the floor down and really lock up on the perimeter.”

Oubre joked at media day that because the trio of himself, Martin and George will be effective at shutting off other teams' water — an analogy for disrupting the flow of an opposing offense — fans should call them “The Plumbers.” While much of the hype for the Sixers spawns from the fit on offense between Joel Embiid, Maxey and George, their defense being in sync and reliably capable of flushing out shot attempts from opponents will be extremely important.

Paul George impressed with 76ers defense in training camp

The 76ers' training camp has been “good” for George, the veteran star said. “It's a work in progress for me, being in a new situation, new teammates, new coaches. But I think we're working towards something great here.”

George's initial impression of head coach Nick Nurse has been positive, as well.

“I like his coaching style,” he said. “I like his approach. He's honest and he's all about working and he just knows how to pull the best out of you. He's someone that's easy to gravitate towards and he's created a culture here.”

George will need more time to work with Embiid on the court — the big man was held out of scrimmages during training camp — but he's hopeful that he'll mesh well with Embiid and Maxey. Their two-man game will offer chances for George to get open shots or drive into scrambling defenses. It's not going to be easy to stop Maxey, who George believes is one of the three fastest players in the league, and Embiid, who George called the most physical big man.

The 76ers' defense will almost never be a problem for them as long as Embiid is able to play. One of the best rim protectors in the game, his presence deters shooters and his size allows him to block a lot of shots and secure rebounds. But while Embiid can do it mostly by himself, that doesn’t mean he should. The 76ers are eager to maintain his health, so having more ball pressure means he can exert less effort on defense.

George is going to be a key instrument in the 76ers' defensive symphony but he, too, will have his workload managed carefully. With PG-13 entering his age-34 season, Martin, Oubre and whoever gets playing time between KJ Maritn, Guerschon Yabusele and Ricky Council IV will be called on to provide tough, physical defense on the wings.

George thinks his biggest adjustment for the 76ers will be to “continue to find my rhythm, staying aggressive whether I have the ball or if I don't have the ball.” The vision he has laid out for himself on his new team is to be a break-glass-in-case-of-emergency superstar and a high-octane supporting piece for Embiid and Maxey. As long as he can do that and provide value on defense, he's going to fit in just fine.