No team makes more sense to Paul George than the Philadelphia 76ers.
Does he want an organization that can surround him with comrades able to push for an appearance in the NBA finals? Absolutely, and the combination of Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid can deliver on this front.
Does he want youth in his support team so that he can consider this destination as a long-term home with a chance for dynastic dominance? Simmons is only 21 years old, Embiid is only 24 years old, and we have not even touched Dario Saric (24 years old), Robert Covington (27 years old), Markelle Fultz (20 years old) and new recruit Zhaire Smith (19).
But even beyond these surface criteria, his skills would harmonize perfectly with the talents of the incumbents. George's bi-directional skills allow him to integrate seamlessly with almost any organization, but his main gifts are those that are constantly being sought by head coach Brett Brown: the development and defense of the perimeter .
Even without George, the Sixers were one of the most stingiest teams in the NBA in 2017-18, which allowed for a paltry 102.0 points per 100 possessions. After the All-Star break, that number dropped to 100.8, which left them behind Utah Jazz (96.0). Everything clicked, with the wings, guards and fronts changing interchangeably because Embiid contained everything inside. Throw George's wide offside defense into the mix, allowing him to side with Simmons, Covington, Saric and Embiid, and it might be impossible to score against Philadelphia.
Offensively, it may still be a better fit.
Not only can George serve as a creative shooting presence, the young Sixers have missed out in situations that call for a bucket generated out of the rebound, but he scored 1.22 points per possession spot-up to fall into the 93rd percentile during his year with thunder. He can fulfill the role of JJ Redick and do so much more, further diversifying an offense that sometimes stagnates despite the presence of generational talents.
If George wants to win now and in the future, knowing that he is sacrificing a bit of spotlight, he knows who to call. First, you must sneak past Jrue Holiday, who is ready to welcome you to the point of attack and continue to operate as one of the NBA's most deadly defensives. Then you have to watch Paul George, making sure that the hitchhiker of the wing can not jump into a pbading lane and add to his remarkable number of deviations. If all goes as planned, it is still wrong to Anthony Davis, who now serves as the last defender of the New Orleans Pelicans around the basket.
Good luck.
The Pelicans were already a strong defensive team in 2017-18 with Holiday and Davis on the field. With only 104.9 points per 100 possessions, by PBPStats.com, they would have ranked No. 12 in the league all season. And it is with a limited badortment of wings helping them, none of them is widely known as locking advocates.
In fact, DeMarcus Cousins (3.6), Davis (2.3), Emeka Okafor (1.3), DeAndre Liggins (0.7), Solomon Hill (0.6) and Holiday (0.3) were the only members of the pelicans to display Positive notes in the defensive box over / under last year, and the three non-stars combined to record only 784 minutes. George would be a game changer, even though the acquisition of him would need other sacrifices.
If George comes to the Pelicans, Cousins probably disappeared. The organization can not afford to keep it alongside the high salaries of Holiday, Davis, Hill and Nikola Mirotic once this new acquisition on board. Just adding the swingman alone might require moving Hill or a combination of lower quality pieces like Alexis Ajinca and Darius Miller. But that would be perfectly fine, because it meant engaging in a different identity – that of imbuing the feats and talents even more complementary to those of the centerpiece aligned at 5.
Stop and think of a holiday composed programming, E & # 39; Twaun Moore, George, Mirotic and Davis.
You're welcome.