Daryl Morey Copies Celtics Strategy To Rescue Joel Embiid As Old Obsession Lands Paul George In Philly

After a long wait, the Sixers finally have their third superstar. Yes, Paul George is joining the Philadelphia 76ers officially after agreeing on a four-year, $212 million maximum contract. George will now be playing aside the 2022-23 league MVP, Joel Embiid, and the 2023-24 Most Improved Player, Tyrese Maxey. While some would argue that this pairing might not be suitable, Bill Simmons always felt this could always work.

Even before the trade happened, with the murmurs of George making it to Philly, Bill Simmons had already spoken about how he would be like a missing piece to the puzzle that is the 76ers. He believes that there’s nobody quite like George right now who can work well with Embiid and others. He said, “He’ll play hard. He shows up like he played 74 games last year. He’s going to play hard, and I think he’s going to work with Embiid. I think it works.”

This wasn’t just what he said. He backed his theory by explaining how, by bringing in George; the Sixers are trying to replicate what the Celtics have done in the past. The 3 stars on a roster worked so well for them this year, they ended up winning a trophy. Simmons said, “It definitely works on paper. Well, because this Darrell, and I’ve talked about this in the past, where he has this three-star theory, right? This has always been how, ever since he had Tracy McGrady and Yao, it’s like if I could just get three stars, that’s basically what the Celtics did.”

Seems quite logical, right? Well, this is what Simmons also feels. He further adds, “And now there’s so much talent in the league, I don’t know if it’s two stars and a lot of depth or whatever it is, but just fundamentally, when Maxey turns into a star and you still have Embiid and you have this cap space, you’re just keeping your fingers crossed basically from February on that something bad happens with another star that you can sign, right? So Paul George was the logical candidate forever. They lose in round one and it’s still like, well, they’re not going to lose him.”

Can Paul George really work well for the Philadelphia 76ers?

If all goes well, the Sixers are quite optimistic about George’s skill set. Last season, he averaged 22.6 points and 5.2 rebounds, with 3.5 assists. He was shooting 41.3% from the three-pointer range on 7.9 attempts. Definitely something the Sixers would be looking for. He’s proven his haters wrong multiple times, playing a significant role in his team when injuries marred their potential. He’s the right choice for the team, considering his capabilities to defend the opposing team’s dominating players with even more dominating wing spans and shooting skills.

George’s season last year ended the same way as Philly. Both were out in the first round of the playoffs. These losses are mounting up to be like salt to their wounds since they are both desperate to move forward and at least reach the Finals. In fact, the 76ers haven’t even reached the second round of Playoffs since 2001. So, their coming together is probably God’s move this time for a major breakthrough we all might see in the 2024-25 season.

The Sixers are in their pursuit, and probably there’s no stopping them if it all works well. They’re building a well-oiled machine by also adding Kelly Oubre Jr. again, and looking to add Andre Drummond and Eric Gordon as well, soon. Now with George-Embiid-Maxey coming together, there’s only a few more right moves until checkmate for them by next year!

Before you go, be sure to check this video of Leonardo Armato’s take on the deadly duo, Shaq and Kobe.