December 29, 2024
In nearly every facet of his game, 34-year-old Paul George has delivered more than the Sixers expected in his first two-plus months with the team. The nine-time All-Star's passing has been terrific, his rebounding has helped stabilize the team's defense and he has also been a shrewd playmaker on that end of the floor, finding opportunities to nab plenty of steals and deflections.
Despite all of that, George's first season in Philadelphia has been a disappointment -- not just because two separate bone bruises in his left knee have caused him to miss time, but because George's production as a scorer has continued to lag far behind what it has been for the vast majority of his career.
George's scoring volume is lower than it has been since he was a 21-year-old trying to make a name for himself in the league, but his efficiency is also at an all-time low in his career. Take a look at George's output in some key scoring areas this season and where it stacks up against his career numbers (George's 2014-15 season, in which he played only 91 minutes, is not included here):
| Category | Paul George 2024-25 | Worst mark since... |
| Points per game | 15.8 | 2011-12 |
| Field goal percentage | 40.4 | Entire NBA career |
| Three-point percentage | 31.4 | 2010-11 |
| Free throw attempts per game | 3.2 | 2011-12 |
| True shooting percentage | 51.4 | Entire NBA career |
It is absolutely a testament to George's all-around ability that he has been capable of impacting winning without being able to score efficiently on a consistent basis. But the Sixers did not ink George to a four-year, $212 million contract so he could merely be a role player. With Joel Embiid's availability consistently in question, George's longstanding scoring prowess is a necessity.
In this week's Sunday stats, let's dive into a subset of George's numbers through 19 games, see how they compare to other marks throughout his career and figure out what it all means:
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For the purposes of this exercise, the focus is much more on George's process leading to his shot attempts rather than the results of those attempts. Every player is prone to an unusual stretch of misses or makes in a sample this small, and there is no question that George will make more of his open and wide open shots moving forward. The real question is whether George's shot diet lends itself to reduced overall efficiency.
The terrific folks at basketball-reference came in handy here, as they use tracking of every shot attempt in the NBA to break down all sorts of useful data. What we will be looking at here is the breakdown of George's field goal attempts based on distance from the basket.
As a reference point, here is George's average shot distance as well as the percentages of his career field goal attempts from each region of the floor in his entire NBA career prior to arriving in Philadelphia:
| Category | George NBA career before joining Sixers (2010-2024) |
| Average shot distance (ft.) | 16.2 |
| % of FGA between 0-3 ft. | .186 |
| % of FGA between 3-10 ft. | .104 |
| % of FGA between 10-16 ft. | .121 |
| % of FGA between 16 ft.-3P | .170 |
| % of FGA from 3P | .419 |
One of the most prolific three-point shooters of his era given his accuracy and versatility, George's significant volume from beyond the arc is sensible. His ridiculous shooting talent paired with a 6-foot-8 frame also explains an abnormally high frequency of shots between 16 feet and the three-point line. But George still had a steady dose of rim attempts -- shots within three feet of the basket.
Now, let's take a look at George's average shot distance and shooting frequencies by range as a member of the Sixers:
| Category | George with Sixers (2024-25) |
| Average shot distance (ft.) | 18.1 |
| % of FGA between 0-3 ft. | .094 |
| % of FGA between 3-10 ft. | .132 |
| % of FGA between 10-16 ft. | .125 |
| % of FGA between 16 ft.-3P | .192 |
| % of FGA from 3P | .457 |
Aside from his career-high average shot distance, what sticks out the most here is George's minuscule number shot attempts near the rim -- displayed by .094 of his shot attempts coming within three feet of the basket, nearly twice as small of a portion as his .186 mark in the first 14 years of his NBA career.
After posting career average shooting frequency in that area of .186 before joining the Sixers, his propensity to take shots within close proximity of the rim has plummeted. Prior to this season, George's career-low frequency within three feet of the basket was .128. That came last season, his final year with the Los Angeles Clippers.
Speaking of the Clippers, let's take a look at George's shooting frequencies during his five-year run with in Los Angeles:
| Category | George with Clippers (2019-2024) |
| Average shot distance (ft.) | 16.9 |
| % of FGA between 0-3 ft. | .150 |
| % of FGA between 3-10 ft. | .132 |
| % of FGA between 10-16 ft. | .126 |
| % of FGA between 16 ft.-3P | .143 |
| % of FGA from 3P | .448 |
Only during one of George's five seasons with the Clippers did his shooting frequency within three feet of the basket match his career average. What is perhaps just as concerning is that his volume in that area went down in each of his last three seasons before departing Los Angeles and joining the Sixers.
George's frequencies in every area between three feet and 16 feet away from the basket look roughly the same with him in a Sixers uniform compared to his half-decade with the Clippers. His three-point shooting rate is fairly similar as well. But then, the most pressing issue arises: a significant chunk of George's shot attempts within three feet of the basket during his time with the Clippers are instead taking place in between 16 feet and the three-point line with the Sixers. Even for a shooter of George's caliber, those are the least efficient looks on the floor -- not nearly as easy to convert as paint attempts and short mid-range ones, but not worth the extra point like shots from beyond the arc are.
Before spending a half-decade playing for his hometown team, George spent two years with the Oklahoma City Thunder. In his second year with the team, George had the strongest campaign of his professional career, finishing third in Most Valuable Player voting as a 28-year-old while also placing fourth in the Defensive Player of the Year race. Here is a breakdown of his shot profile in that season:
| Category | George career-best season (2018-19) |
| Average shot distance (ft.) | 16.6 |
| % of FGA between 0-3 ft. | .211 |
| % of FGA between 3-10 ft. | .097 |
| % of FGA between 10-16 ft. | .108 |
| % of FGA between 16 ft.-3P | .115 |
| % of FGA from 3P | .469 |
To recap, these numbers in George's brilliant season represent George's fourth-highest frequency of shot attempts between 0-3 feet of his NBA career (the highest since his third season), his third-lowest frequency of shot attempts between 10-16 feet of his NBA career (his lowest since his second season) and his single lowest frequency of shot attempts between 16 feet and the three-point line of his NBA career.
That is a much, much different picture than the one painted by his appetite of shots this season.
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Even though Embiid is one of the better three-point shooting bigs in the NBA, George's concerning trends would be easier to digest had he been sharing the floor with the former MVP in the vast majority of his minutes. Embiid is -- rightfully -- the focal point of head coach Nick Nurse's offense, which often will utilize one perimeter player -- typically Tyrese Maxey -- as the lone piece in constant motion. When playing alongside his two co-stars, George is naturally going to be farther away from the basket more often.
However, Embiid's availability has been perhaps been infamously shaky for the entire year due to ongoing left knee troubles, a suspension and a sinus fracture. Maxey also had an extended absence due to a hamstring injury. George has had every opportunity to assert himself as a primary scoring option, and on every once in while he does so. Far too often, though, George has faded into the background for many minutes at a time -- sometimes multiple quarters -- when the Sixers are desperate for someone as skilled as he is to take the wheel.
Surely, George does not have the same athleticism now that he did six years ago. But particularly when Embiid is off the floor -- and especially when Embiid is unavailable for an entire game -- the Sixers need George to expand his modes of attack as a scorer. He almost certainly has more than enough ability and cache as a scorer to create more opportunities to get to the rim, where his efficiency has remained outstanding. If he does not, there might be larger issues to worry about long-term.
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