Sixers' Coach Pleased with Paul George's Recent Practice Session

While the Philadelphia 76ers are three games into their preseason schedule, there are still some big names on the team that have yet to hit the court, with two of the biggest being Joel Embiid and Paul George. While Embiid made an appearance over the weekend at the Sixers' annual Blue X White scrimmage, George stood by and watched.

This shouldn't come as too much of a surprise, given that it was reported earlier in that week that the nine-time All-Star had only then begun drills on the court without the presence of any defenders. However as the team continues to ramp up for the season, so has George, as it was reported that he had participated in a majority of the team's practice session on Wednesday.

How'd George do in Wednesday's practice?

Paul George doing some extra work at Sixers practice#sixers pic.twitter.com/NVnISRLiIi
— Declan Harris (@DecIanH) October 14, 2025

When talking about what he saw from George on Wednesday, Sixers' head coach Nick Nurse provided more insight into the specifics, stating that he had made his return to live action through the way of three-on-three drills.

"Yeah, so obviously I talked about the long segment at the beginning, all in that we got to some three-on-three work that was live, but it was full court live... that was kind of Paul's first live action," Nurse explained to the press.

Were there any issues in his performance?

Paul Georges challenges Quinten Post on the court. — Mar 1, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Golden State Warriors center Quinten Post (21) grabs a rebound against Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George (8) during the first quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Given that George hasn't played in a competitive setting since the Sixers' loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on March 4, it wouldn't have been a surprise to anyone to see some conditioning issues come into effect on Wednesday, which is something that Nurse talked about, citing the pace of play being the cause.

"I don't know. I thought he looked really good, right, for live practice one, and the pace at the way it was going was a challenge, conditioning-wise, and some of those things," Nurse stated. "But he looked good, played through it."

Despite the injuries and setbacks that George has dealt with since joining Philadelphia last year, Nurse feels that there are still times that the 35-year-old can show off the talents that made him the player he is today.

You still see this incredible shot maker, you know, and I think he was moving very well, and he didn't seem tentative to me, you know, for a guy again, first practice back with live action," Nurse explained. "So I think they were all, you know, positive, positive steps for him today."

While he has only started with live action on Wednesday, George's next chance to make his preseason debut will come on Friday night, when the Sixers welcome the Minnesota Timberwolves to the Xfinity Mobile Arena.