Beyond Paul George, Sixers’ Moves Impressed Nick Nurse

Nick Nurse addresses the state of the Philadelphia 76ers' new roster.

Dec 16, 2023; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Philadelphia 76ers head coach Nick Nurse reacts with guard Kelly Oubre Jr. (9) during the first quarter against the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports / Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

The Philadelphia 76ers’ front office received a lot of praise from outsiders this summer, specifically for the signing of the former LA Clippers star, Paul George. However, the supporting cast the Sixers created for Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and George has been worthy of acclaim.

For the 76ers, the head coach, Nick Nurse, is thrilled with the state of the 2024-2025 roster.

“As excited as we are about some of the things—obviously Paul George headlining the thing—I think that a lot of the other moves were super critical. There were things that we needed to get done,” Nurse said this week.

As expected, the Sixers entered free agency with a plan to take advantage of their league-leading cap space. The pre-PG moves involved a reunion with the veteran center, Andre Drummond, and retaining the veteran wing, Kelly Oubre.

The former move helps the Sixers address their rebounding struggles while getting one of Joel Embiid’s most productive backups back in the building for another run.

“Dummond backing up Joel, I think everybody understands that we need a good veteran guy that’s a starter. If we need him to play some games, you know, 40 minutes or 38 minutes or whatever, we got a guy that can do it and provide incredible presence around the basket,” Nurse explained.

Of course, there is wing help, too.

“I think we touched a lot of the things that we needed to touch on. We got a little veteran experience, a little shooting added, certainly got some dynamic wings in Caleb [Martin] and Kelly back in there,” the head coach said.

Even beyond the additions, Nurse pointed out a returning player who was already under contract in the sophomore, Ricky Council IV.

“We got Ricky back in the fold, who just keeps getting better and better,” Nurse finished. “I think that a lot of those things matter.”

So far, the Sixers look much improved on paper compared to their last run, which ended with a trip to the Play-In before getting bounced out of the playoffs in the first round. While roster-building is just a phase in the long and difficult process of making a title run, Nick Nurse is just as optimistic about his team’s supporting cast as he is about the star trio of Embiid, Maxey, and George.

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