Apr 4, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George (8) drives to the basket against the Detroit Pistons during the first half at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
PHILADELPHIA -- The love that Paul George feels for the game of basketball again is palpable.
It's shown in so many different ways, from his work ethic, to his off-court demeanor to his want to share his knowledge with teammates. And it's light years away from where he was at the end of January, when he was suspended by the league for violating the anti-drug policy.
While George never fully explained what he took and why, he alluded to him having mental health battles, and even hinted that the banned substance he took was to deal with that. Since his return from his 25-game suspension, George has talked endlessly about feeling mentally stable because he is in a better physical place than he has been in quite some time. Shoulder surgeries, elbow, knee and ankle injuries all followed the gruesome open tibial-fibula fracture he suffered on his right leg in August of 2014 during a scrimmage for Team USA. His has been a constant battle to get his body to feel right enough to play the game of basketball. And while getting suspended by the league this year may have been one of the low points in what will surely be a Hall of Fame career, it perhaps is almost a blessing in disguise.
Having close to two months away from the rigors of NBA games gave the 6-8, nine-time All-Star time to heal his wounds, both mentally and physically. Instead of rehabbing, he worked on his game. He helped his teammates by practicing against them. He worked on his individual skills. He hit the weight room. You name it, George did it. It was a welcomed way for him to get his body in basketball shape.
"It's just such a relief, just such a relief," said George, who after Saturday's 116-93 loss to the Detroit Pistons is averaging 25.8 points in the six games since his return. "I'm not just out there because I'm out there. I'm out there because I want to do something special and I want to do something big. The only way I'm going to be able to do that is if I feel good on the court and capable of doing it. Those emotions were suppressed because of just trying to play through stuff and just feeling like a shell almost, because of what I was limited (to). I feel like now, that hasn't been a problem, those emotions are just starting to show. I do enjoy playing this game."
Paul George really the blueprint for every modern wing pic.twitter.com/VpDkjtZunt
In Friday's win over the Minnesota Timberwolves, George surprised teammate Kelly Oubre, Jr. after a stop at the defensive end. George screamed his approval toward the courtside seats, then encouraged the crowd with waving arms.
"He got a stop and he was like, walking back and he was like, 'Yeah.' And I was like, 'Oh, snap. Say that. Yes sir.' He's just in a good flow right now so let's keep that going and take it day by day, game by game."
That's exactly how George wants to take things now. The body is feeling as healthy as it has in quite some time, and with that being the case, the mental side follows right along. It has coincided with him being the best overall player on the team since he returned on March 25. Besides his scoring, he spearheads the defense, consistently rebounds and is willing to pass up good shots to give teammates great ones. Ultimately, he is just feeling himself again.
"I think now I can start to train and workout differently," said George. "For the longest time my workouts were rehab and just feeling good enough to get on the court. Now I'm working out on what I can do to be better, what I can do to be more efficient. It's a lot more basketball related as opposed to maintenance and rehab related. I just think now it's about trying to be a better player on the court now.
"It's fun, it's fun playing here. It is a place to thrive in. It is a place to excel in. It's fun. Being able to have that emotion kind of come out. I'm in the trenches here. I'm all about closing this out and going strong and finishing it strong here in Philly. I think it's just an infectious crowd and environment. Again, those emotions are just starting to come back out."
George is an adult in a kid's game. He is a strong family man. He meets endless interviews in a professional way, thoughtful with his answers. He knows that at 36 years of age next month, the clock is winding down on his NBA days. It is why he appears to be embracing it in a variety of ways, including sharing his wealth of knowledge built through 16 years in the league. He is often seen after practices and shootarounds teaching moves, footwork and angles to rookie VJ Edgecombe.
Paul George and VJ Edgecombe going through their post-shootaround work this morning #Sixers pic.twitter.com/mCiJBxmbGg
"He's starting to grasp a lot of the stuff that I've been trying to teach him," said George. "It's not that his way is wrong, I'm just trying to give him options. Obviously, I won't be playing this game that much longer, so if there's anything that I can give back, I'm here for it. But, he's starting to grasp it, he's starting to get it. I think with me and him it's just helping him understand how he can play at a different pace and tempo and control the game and turn his jets on and be explosive in spurts instead of being explosive at all times. I think that he can really catch defenses off guard with kind of playing around with his cadence. That's all it is, just trying to give him different options to add to his tool belt.
"He's always coming to me. There will be a situation in a game and we'll talk about it the next day. He'll come to me and say 'I did this, was this good? How could I do this? How could I have done that better?' And he picks up quickly. It's been fun. It's been kind of a youthful thing for me to kind of be the older guy teaching. It's been fun and I think through that our relationship has gotten like, my little brother."
Fun seems to be a huge priority for George now in his basketball life. Maybe it took a low for him to realize that. Whatever, he certainly is in a good spot now.
"I love playing with him, I love learning from him," said Oubre. "He does a really good job of remaining poised even when things aren't going his way, per say. He's finally starting to just spread his wings in Philly a little bit and fly. We're all happy to see that. But he'll always make the extra play, the right read and he's a great piece to have for sure."
Tyrese Maxey scored 23, Paul George 20 and VJ Edgecombe 19 in the Sixers loss to the visiting Detroit Pistons on Saturday... The loss dropped the Sixers to 43-35 and a half game behind the Toronto Raptors for the sixth seed. The Raptors have played one fewer game than the Sixers and will face the Boston Celtics on Sunday. The Sixers hold the tiebreaker against Toronto... Cam Payne left the game with a hamstring injury in the first half and did not return... The Sixers have four games remaining, playing Monday in San Antonio, Thursday in Houston and Friday at Indiana. They close out the regular season at home against the Milwaukee Bucks next Sunday... The oblique strain that had Joel Embiid miss 13 games recently was re-aggravated in Friday's win over Minnesota, though Embiid said he feels good enough to play. He should be on the court Monday against the Spurs.
