Following a 25-game suspension after getting busted for taking an “unapproved substance”, Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George has come roaring back to action. In his first two games coming off a long hiatus, George scored at least 26 points in each game and added 13 rebounds and four steals in a win over the upjumpped Charlotte Hornets. On April 1, he followed that up with a near 40-point performance in Philadelphia’s fourth win in five games, a tremendous result for both George and the Sixers -- even if it came against the lowly Washington Wizards.
With the NBA Play-In Tournament just a week away, the Sixers are currently toeing the line between securing the sixth seed and having to run the gauntlet on the road, or playing as the seventh seed and fighting for a playoff spot from the friendly confines of Xfinity Mobile Arena.
Wherever Philadelphia lands, George and the recently returned Joel Embiid make the Sixers a potential dark horse in a wide-open Eastern Conference, assuming he overcomes the appendicitis that sprang up on Thursday. At this time, there is no word on when Embiid can be expected to return to the floor for the Sixers, a trend that has provided many a nightmare in the City of Brotherly Love.
However, it’s a complete uphill battle for the Sixers, wherever they might fall heading into the playoffs. Whether it’s the already-proven Boston Celtics, who won a championship the last time they were fully healthy, or the Detroit Pistons, who came out of nowhere to snag the first seed for the first time in 20 years, the road to the NBA Finals seems especially murky for Philadelphia this summer.
Despite this, the resurgence of George and the fact that Embiid is always a top player in the association when healthy, a fully available and reloaded Sixers team could be on track for title contention next season. In the nine games since his return from suspension, George looks like a younger version of himself, averaging 24.4 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game while shooting 48 percent from the field and 46.8 percent from beyond the arc.
Philadelphia Must Be Smart, but Aggressive This Offseason
The biggest issue for the Sixers is, as it always has been, the availability of their star players. Injuries will likely continue to plague Embiid as he progresses through his tremendous career; that is just the fact of the matter at this point. However, this recent stretch of success by George shows that the Sixers have reasons to be hopeful about next season. What’s unfortunate for Philadelphia is that they won’t have much cap room to play with, as the Sixers are projected to be over the cap space this summer.
General manager Daryl Morey is no stranger to making deals, and that’s exactly what he’ll have to do. It’ll start with finding a competent center to play behind Embiid; potentially, someone like Walker Kessler could be acquired in a trade with the Utah Jazz and could really excel in Philadelphia.
3-point shooting is not getting any less valuable, and the Sixers find themselves among the more average teams in the NBA in that category. A legitimate threat from the perimeter would make Philadelphia’s roster a lot more viable as a contender, and options like Luke Kennard or Tim Hardaway Jr. could be available if Morey can restructure contracts and free up cap space.
Although the 2025-26 campaign will most likely end without an NBA title for Philadelphia for the first time since 1983, fans should come away feeling hopeful about expectations heading into next season, especially now that George has shown that he still has gas in the tank. They’ll have to bring in new pieces and improve their shooting, but the Sixers will be one of the few teams to watch out for in 2026-27 if they continue to build smartly and aggressively this summer.