Former 76ers Guard Defends Paul George's Limited Workload

Nick Young feels the 76ers are taking the right approach with their star forward.

Oct 14, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George (8) dribbles against the Atlanta Hawks in the first quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

This summer, the Philadelphia 76ers made what many considered the biggest splash of free agency by signing Paul George. Heading into this 15th year in the league, the team is taking the necessary precautions to get the most out of their star trio.

Earlier this week, it was revealed that PG and Joel Embiid likely aren't going to play back-to-backs during the regular season. With the goal of competing for a championship in mind, the Sixers want to make sure their top players are ready to go physically come the postseason.

We've already seen why the Sixers are being very cautious with their new addition. During a recent preseason matchup with the Atlanta Hawks, George suffered a bone bruise and is set to be re-evaluated in one week.

In a recent episode of Gil's Arena, Gilbert Arenas touched on Embiid and George not playing in back-to-backs. The former All-Star in completely against it, but Nick Young totally supports the decision. Similar to Embiid, George has a long list of personal accolades. With a championship being the one thing that's eluded him, Young likes that George will have a smaller workload during the marathon that is the regular season.

"I would rather PG do that, no back-to-backs, for sure," Young said. "He don't need to worry about accolades, he need a championship."

During his career, Young was a journeyman who was fortunate to be on a title team in the tail end of his time in the league. The longtime guard joined the Golden State Warriors in 2018, where he was able to win a championship in his lone season with the franchise. Another one of Young's short stops in the league was with the Sixers in 2013, appearing in just 59 games.

While George is dealing with an injury now, he showed last season that he's capable of putting a healthy year together. He appeared in 74 games during the regular season before the LA Clippers were eliminated in the first round.

It is certainly an unorthodox approach for a team to limit a player they just signed to a max deal. That said, given their circumstances, the Sixers are smart to go into the year not wanting to overwork their top stars.