CAMDEN, N.J. — The Philadelphia 76ers are looking for a much different result in the 2025-26 season following a brief detour into the woods when they finished 24-58 while injuries decimated the roster. In order to do that, they will need their stars to be on the floor together healthy.
The Sixers will look to Joel Embiid, Paul George, and Tyrese Maxey to lead the way heading into the new season. Embiid and George, specifically, are coming off major injuries and are looking to bounce back in a big way.
George, in the second year of a 4-year $212 million deal, is looking for some injury luck after playing in only 41 games in his maiden season in Philadelphia. His numbers were down across the board as he went through a variety of issues and the Sixers were unable to succeed. It was all-around a tough season.
“Last year was tough,” said George. “One of the toughest seasons I’ve been a part of, not just from a team standpoint but from a personal standpoint. But from a motivational standpoint, it can’t get worse than last year, right? That was a rock-bottom kind of season. I think it was a disappointment, personally, for myself, and obviously for the fans here, but I do think there’s a lot to look forward to.”
There’s a lot of motivation for George the Sixers at the moment. Everybody knows they can’t have a repeat of the 2024-25 season and will be leaning on each other to step up and do their part. A lot of players have been in the gym recently leading into media day and training camp looking to build chemistry and get everybody on the same page as they move forward.
“I’ve been here for about two, three weeks now,” George added. “I’ve been in the gym every day, been in the weight room every day. You look around and there’s 12, 13, 14 other guys here as well three weeks before the season starts. I think that alone stands out. That guys are committed to getting better. We’re hungry and guys look good. I’ve watched the work that they’ve put in. So the motivation is there. We’re just hanging on one another, man. We’re excited about what’s to come, but we’re definitely taking it one day at a time, just stacking good days.”
George did undergo arthroscopic surgery on his left knee in the offseason as he looks to clean up some issues in the knee and push himself forward again. The Sixers have to hope that he can bounce back from a tough season because they won’t go anywhere if he can’t figure it out.
“I’m getting better and better, feeling stronger and stronger,” George said. “This next couple of weeks is very important leading into the start of the season, opening night, all that stuff. All I can do is just focus on doing that day after day, taking it one day at a time. I do think I will be at a good place, hopefully sooner than later. But just as far as my body, I do feel better, I do feel good — a lot better than I did last year.”
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Paul George explains where motivation comes from to help 76ers succeed
