76ers 3 Thoughts: How Does George’s Return Impact 76ers Moving Forward?

The Philadelphia 76ers, despite dealing with a slew of injuries, are off to an 8-5 start to the season. Paul George made his season debut against the Los Angeles Clippers, but Kelly Oubre Jr. was added to the injury report with a left knee sprain. Jared McCain returned from both knee and thumb injuries earlier this season, but the 21-year old is struggling to find his stride. In the latest edition of “76ers 3 Thoughts,” a dive into George’s season debut, how the Sixers can replace Oubre’s production and more:

George Makes Season Debut After ‘Long Journey’ Back

The Sixers were off to a strong start this season. Tyrese Maxey is putting together his best campaign yet, V.J. Edgecombe is playing above expectations so far in his rookie season and the role players are all contributing. George, outside of the occasional practice update, has quietly been ramping up in preparation for his return to the floor. That return finally occurred against the Clippers, his former team, on Monday night. George, while playing on a minutes restriction, totaled nine points, seven rebounds, three assists and two blocks in 21 minutes.

PG for threee! 👌 pic.twitter.com/Qap3rbzYsL

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) November 18, 2025

George largely had a quiet night in the win over the Clippers. It will likely take multiple games for George to find his rhythm and look closer to his typical self. However, he was happy just to be back on the floor after a lengthy journey which included knee surgery and months of rehab.

“Felt great to finally play basketball again,” George said after the game, via Adam Aaronson of PhillyVoice. “Been like eight months since I played. It was a long journey, a lot of ups and downs, a lot of hiccups, but it felt good to finally get out there. And I felt good, just rusty.”

George is not likely to ever return to being the nine-time All-Star who dominated opposing defenses on a nightly basis. However, he can still be a highly useful player for the Sixers. At 6-foot-8, George has the size to play and defend multiple positions. Getting George back on the floor, particularly considering Oubre’s recent knee injury, is going to give Philadelphia crucial size on the floor.

On the offensive end of the floor, George brings a much-needed skillset to the Sixers. He is a high-volume outside shooter who has connected on 38.3% of his 3-point attempts in his career. The 35-year old also brings some playmaking ability to the table. He might not be the same player he once was, but opposing defenses still pay him a lot of attention. On the play below, George penetrated into the paint and drew in multiple Clippers defenders before threading the ball over to Edgecombe for a wide-open 3-pointer.

the vet ➡️ the rook. pic.twitter.com/nxXjGj9fzz

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) November 18, 2025

George’s versatility allows the Sixers, who have been featuring some three-guard lineups early this season, to utilize multiple different lineup combinations. He played as a small forward in the first half against the Clippers before scaling up and playing power forward in the second half. George, who has often avoided playing power forward in the past, proved willing to play the position at times against the Clippers. Four of his seven rebounds came while playing power forward in the second half.

The 15-year veteran did not endear himself well to Philadelphia last season. However, there is still plenty of reason to believe he can make a positive impact on the Sixers. The biggest question is not a matter of production but rather his ability to stay healthy consistently.

Who Will Step Up in Oubre’s Absence?

The Sixers on Sunday announced Oubre suffered an LCL injury to his left knee against the Detroit Pistons. He missed the win over the Clippers and has been ruled out for Wednesday’s contest against the Toronto Raptors with a left knee sprain. The only official update the team has given is Oubre is meeting with doctors to determine the severity of the injury.

Regardless of the severity of the injury, Oubre is looking at some amount of missed time. Depending on the grade of his LCL sprain, the recovery timeline could range anywhere from a few weeks to multiple months.

Oubre was off to a strong start to this season before the injury. In 12 games, Oubre was averaging 16.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.1 steals per contest. After bouncing around the league earlier in his career, Oubre successfully carved out a role in Philadelphia. His absence, for however long it lasts, will be sorely missed.

How will the Sixers go about replacing Oubre’s production? Getting George back in action will surely help, but it will also require other players stepping into larger roles. Justin Edwards should see his minutes go up in Oubre’s absence. After getting off to a slow start to the season, Edwards has begun to heat up over the past several games. He is averaging 9.2 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists while shooting 50.0% from 3-point range over his last five contests.

Dominick Barlow, despite missing some time with an elbow laceration, has had an excellent start to the season. In four games, Barlow is averaging 8.0 points and 5.3 rebounds in 25.0 minutes per contest. The Sixers could experiment with starting lineups including Barlow at power forward. Adding him to the starting five would provide some crucial size and rebounding ability. Regardless of if George, when healthy, or Edwards are starting at small forward, Barlow should see a significant amount of games in the starting lineup for however long Oubre is out of action.

In addition to Edwards and Barlow having larger roles, the Sixers could also continue to lean heavily on three-guard lineups. Philadelphia could play the trio of Maxey, Edgecombe and Quentin Grimes alongside either George or Barlow at power forward and Joel Embiid at center. However, Maxey and Edgecombe have already been overworked as both players are averaging north of 37 minutes per game.

The Sixers have the versatility, now that George is back, to mix in multiple different lineup combinations. Despite that versatility, losing Oubre’s production and energy is going to be difficult to replace. For now, the Sixers are waiting to hear more specifics about Oubre’s injury before they can effectively form a concrete return timeline.

Sixers Need New Strategy for McCain

McCain has been unable to get going since returning from both knee and thumb injuries. He has looked far different from the player he was during his rookie season when he averaged 15.3 points while shooting 38.3% from 3-point range.

In his first three games of the season, McCain went scoreless while missing all nine of his field goal attempts. The Sixers made the call to send McCain down to the G League for a couple of games in the hopes he would regain his usual form. He made some positive strides in two games with the Delaware Blue Coats and was brought back up to the Sixers roster.

However, McCain continued to struggle against the Clippers. He failed to record a single stat in his five minutes of action against Los Angeles. Throughout the four games McCain has played this season, he has been unable to generate any offense while clearly playing with both diminished confidence and mobility. Head coach Nick Nurse went the path of attempting to ease McCain back into action, playing him in short spurts. However, that strategy has not allowed McCain to get into any sort of rhythm.

At this point, the Sixers have two paths they can consider to get McCain back to his typical form. They can either begin playing him more minutes at the NBA level with the belief that more game action will eventually lead to him finding his legs. The Sixers understandably might be hesitant to give McCain more minutes and let him ride out his struggles. Their other option is to again send McCain down to the G League, but this time for a more prolonged stretch of time. Playing in Delaware should give McCain a ton of opportunity to produce without having the pressure of playing against NBA competition. Regardless of which path the Sixers take, their current plan for McCain is not working and must be changed.