Paul George’s introductory Sixers press conference was Tuesday afternoon in Camden. Most of the answers were somewhat generic, but here are five good quotes that get into the Xs and Os and reveal a bit about how he thinks he can complement Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey (my emphasis in bold):

the fit with Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid

“Tyrese has the youth. He has the legs, the speed, the quickness, similar to when I played alongside (Russell Westbrook), just the opportunities he creates with his speed and his tempo to push the ball. I think I can space the floor for him and be a veteran to kind of help him from the defensive side, (and) offensively. I think we complement each other well. Same goes for Joel. I’ve been watching their games and I know it’s tough for him a lot of times to play one-on-one from the block, just because of the spacing and shooters around him. I’m looking forward to that, giving him a chance to play his game and be aggressive on the block and be able to make quick moves to go score because there is that space there. And just being a late-game performer, someone to take a lot of pressure off both of those guys, to close games out, to extend leads, to finish games. I’m just looking forward to being on the floor with those two because I know they’ll help me a ton.”

on getting past the second round/putting it together in the playoffs

“Staying healthy, but again, having another closer on the floor. Another big shot maker. A defensive stopper. And I think giving credit to the other guys we have out there. I think we are a pretty deep and complete team outside of Joel, myself, and Tyrese. That should be what really puts us over the hump. But again, it’s moreso being there for those late-game situations. I’ve been in tough games, tough series, I know what that looks like, know how to keep a locker room together in those moments. Just using my leadership and what I’ve learned, being around other guys, to help get us through those tough moments.

how his jobs changes compared to other NBA stops

“I don’t think much, honestly. I know what I’m out there to do. That’s ultimately put the ball in the basket and guard the best player on the other team. With that, at times during the course of the year it’s going to be a long season, but the three of us can carry a ton of that workload. I look forward to playing with such a presence in Joel. And I don’t think I’ve played with someone at that level, at that size, who dominates. Really looking forward to what that looks like on the floor. But I don’t think it changes much. I know what I’m here to do. Go out and do my job.”

the most important thing about being a Big 3 and how to navigate it

“That’s easy. Win. Just go win. There’s no ego with me. I think people took that out of context, when we speak about my time in LA. The second option conversation, I think people kind of took that out of context. I just wanna go win. It’s not about shots for me. It’s not about having the ball in my hands the whole game, it’s about winning. I wanna make winning plays. Over the course of a game I know when I need to be aggressive and when I need to raise the level. But for me it’s about winning. That’s all I care about, putting everything towards that. That’s really the conversation us three need to have. Whatever it takes, let’s go do it and get the job done, then we relay that to the team.”

on managing the regular season

“I think again, just taking the pressure off Joel. I think it’s fair to say, (looks at Nick Nurse), we don’t want to see him isolating at the top of the key. I think I can kind of help him get through a season healthy. It’s just not putting so much pressure on, regardless of how you feel. I think pressure causes a lot of injuries as well. When you think you have to get through and play and have a touch every possession, that kind of just wears you down. Especially for how physical he is. That’s just the key. Everybody do their part. Make sure we work on our bodies, conditioned, and we don’t put that pressure on one individual to go out and win games.”

A lot of good stuff in there. Paul George knows that Embiid can’t be constantly dealing with double teams on the low block or playing iso at the nail while everyone else stands around. PG talks about spacing the floor and doing things to alleviate the burden on Joel to the point where he should not have to be overdoing it on the offensive end. Now you’ve got an elite wing who can shoot and teams have to think twice about throwing that extra body at Joel and then scrambling to rotate and close out against four other guys who can all shoot at a decent clip.

The other thing that stood out was George talking about being a closer. He’s here, in his own words, to “take a lot of pressure off both of those guys, to close games out, to extend leads, to finish games.” The Sixers really have not had a de facto closer since Jimmy Butler in 2019. Sure, Embiid and Maxey have had their moments, but George can start with the ball in his hands and create decent late looks. I mentioned in an earlier story that PG had pretty good “clutch” numbers in the 2023-24 regular season. That’s the final five minutes of a game where the lead is 5 points or less. George was 19-39 from the floor (48.7%), 8-20 from three (40%), 30-32 from the foul line, and had a 20-12 record in those games. Hopefully his presence spares us Embiid dribbling at the three point line and heaving one up at the buzzer. And likewise, Tyrese doesn’t have to carry the burden in situations where Embiid is gassed and/or might be out of the lineup on a particular night.

So those are good quotes. You don’t win or lose press conferences, regardless of what the Philadelphia sports media says, but George is saying a lot about what the Sixers need on the court without using many words. They need to space the floor and alleviate the burden on Joel Embiid so that he doesn’t feel like he has to do it all himself, and put himself in compromising situations as a result.