Paul George immediately impacts Sixers games with scoring prowess and defense, proving his vital addition even alongside Tyrese Maxey's heroics.
Though it took him some time, Paul George has not only returned to action, but he's already helped the Philadelphia 76ers greatly over his first two games back. Though they lost in his season debut, he looked solid and was very aggressive which was a great sign for someone playing for the first time in months.
That said, in his second game, he started off scorching hot, scoring the team's first 11 points. He continued to play well throughout the game on both sides of the ball, finishing with 21 points to go along with some very solid defense.
For those who believed George was needed back on the roster, his contributions didn't come as much of a surprise. On the other hand, however, there were a lot of people who still weren't convinced that he had a spot on the team, and though it became more apparent with Kelly Oubre Jr. being out, it's always been there.
Even through the team's 4-0 start earlier this season, it was clear that a player like George was needed on the roster. For one, he brings size and some of the best defense on the roster, which was certainly needed, but he's also one of the most talented players of all time on offense.
He displayed this in the first two minutes of their last game against the Milwaukee Bucks, creating opportunities for himself and hitting some unbelievably tough shots. Additionally, the team's first bucket outside of George was a lob to VJ Edgecombe, which was assisted by George.
It's important to keep in mind that he did all of this on a night that Tyrese Maxey scored a career-high 54 points, and while he was on a minutes restriction. Once he's fully comfortable and capable of playing his usual minutes, the team will be in a much better position to see consistent success, with or without Embiid on the court.
It's also possible that Oubre returns within the next few weeks, so their starting lineup could look something like Maxey, Edgecombe, Oubre, George, and Embiid within the next month. Not only is this lineup terrifying in itself, but adding Quentin Grimes, Jared McCain, Dominick Barlow, Trendon Watford, and Andre Drummond off the bench makes this roster one of the most complete in the league.
Hopefully, they'll have some games this season that they're able to sport their full lineup as it truly does have an absurd amount of talent. Even if it's not until the postseason, it would be a beautiful thing to witness.