The Philadelphia 76ers sit at 30-23, nearly two-thirds of the way through the NBA season. As the season enters its final stretch, the Sixers are left trying to overcome depth issues caused by a lack of additions at the NBA trade deadline and the ongoing suspension of Paul George.
Players like George do not grow on trees. If every team had access to a 6'9" smooth-moving wing who played high-level defense and was a knockdown shooter, they would have him on their roster. That is why, when news of his 25-game suspension broke, it was such a massive blow to what the Sixers had going for them. Not because he is their best or most integral player, but because the role he fills is one nobody else on the team can, and not many players in the league can, archetypically.
The Sixers currently sit at sixth place in the Eastern Conference, with some distance between them and the Play-In, though not enough to be comfortable. More pressure will be put on Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid to maintain their offensive brilliance. VJ Edgecombe is going to have to be counted on more as he starts to accumulate the effects of the most basketball games he has ever played in a year.
For a team that finds themselves in more crunch-time games than they probably should, it is going to take a collective effort from the entire roster to make up for George's absence. Here are the two Sixers who can best mirror George's contributions, and thus the two who need to step up the most until he returns.
Physical attributes-wise, Kelly Oubre is the only Sixer with relative size and length that compares to Paul George. At this stage in their respective careers, Oubre is a superior lateral and vertical athlete as well. That should help close some of the defensive instinct and skill gap that George has a marked advantage in.
On offense, Oubre can act as a Paul George lite. He will not command as much respect as a shooter, is not as much of a threat off the dribble in the half court, and is not nearly as good a connective passer. But, he can do all of those things well enough that, as long as the rest of the guys are doing their job, his increase in usage and production should be welcome as the Sixers try to shore up their spot in the playoff race.
As far as coming the closest to replicating the individual skills that Paul George brings to the table, Quentin Grimes, on his best nights, can hit a lot of shots and play stout defense along the perimeter. Where Grimes needs to focus his efforts now, with George out, is on being more consistent. The Sixers need him to establish a rhythm like he showed down the stretch last season.
The floor for the team is a lot lower with Grimes stepping into Paul George-esque responsibilities. When Grimes is not having it, he gets lost on the court. That does not happen much to George, who, at the bare minimum, is always present, even if his shot is not falling. The message to Grimes should be to handle his business defensively, and the uptick in offensive opportunities will inevitably follow suit with more shots to go around.
