Former Clippers Standout's Honest Take on Paul George’s Sixers Run

Former Philadelphia 76ers and Los Angeles Clippers guard Lou Williams recently assessed the first season of the Paul George era in the City of Brotherly Love. To no surprise, Williams was not impressed.

Grading out George’s season, without hesitation, Williams called it a failure.

“We started this, this year with championship aspirations for this group, and Paul George was that piece that they brought in to get them to that point, to get them over that hump,” George said on ‘Run It Back.’

“With injuries, with everything that was going on, collectively, I think it affected the way that he played, and the way that he went about business, and he just didn't have his best run. Some career lows for him going in this season. Just not a great year.”

“The positive about it is, now he understands what Philadelphia is about.”

Lou Williams didn’t sugarcoat the failure that was Paul George’s first season with the 76ers, but at least PG will know what to expect next year in Philly 😅 pic.twitter.com/ggPpT0VTnz
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) March 18, 2025

From the jump, George was battling setbacks on the Sixers. During the preseason, he suffered a knee injury that forced him to miss the first five games of the year. He dealt with the same knee injury in late November, causing some more absences.

There was a one-month run from December to January where George was consistently on the court and starting to get into a rhythm. Unfortunately, a groin injury forced a few absences, while a pinkie injury took him off the court for five games in a row.

Mar 1, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George (8) dribbles the ball against Golden State Warriors guard Gary Payton II (0) during the second quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Despite battling the setbacks, George attempts to finish strong for the Sixers. Unfortunately, it became too much. A March 4 matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves was George’s last appearance. He went on to miss a handful of games before getting ruled out for the rest of the year.

While George’s season ends on a low note, Williams can view the situation from a positive lens.

“The positive about it is now he understands what Philadelphia is like,” Williams explained. “He understands what's what it's about. So I look forward to him getting back healthy. Getting himself back in the position to be respected as the Paul George that we've grown accustomed to seeing play on the basketball floor and I think he’ll have a great season next year once he gets healthy and he gets 100 percent back on track.”

Paul George wraps up year one with the Sixers by posting averages of 16 points, five rebounds, and four assists. He shot 43 percent from the field and 36 percent from three.

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