The Sixers made the biggest splash of this NBA offseason when they lured Paul George away from Los Angeles after the nine-time All-Star spent five seasons with his hometown Clippers on a four-year max contract that contained a player option in the final season. George, who is seeking his first NBA Finals appearance and victory despite putting together an illustrious career to date, decided that coming to Philadelphia gave him the best chance to compete at the highest level after negotiations with the Clippers fizzled out.

There is no doubt that the Sixers will be considerably better because George is now in the fold. But how exactly does he fit? A deep-dive into his numbers and film paints the picture:

Statistical / Athletic Profile

George, 34, played in 74 games for the Clippers last season — his highest total during his half-decade tenure with the team — and logged 33.8 minutes per contest. George averaged 22.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.5 steals and 0.5 blocks per game while shooting 47.1 percent from the field (16.7 shot attempts per game), 41.3 percent from beyond the arc (7.9 three-point attempts per game) and 90.7 percent from the free throw line (3.9 free throw attempts per game). His 61.3 true shooting percentage was by far the best mark of his career.

George is listed at 6-foot-8 and 220 pounds with a 6-foot-11 wingspan. He is not the all-world sort of leaper he once was, but has still more than enough athleticism to make flashy plays.

Spot-up shooting

When evaluating a player's shooting ability, their three-point percentage is only a small part of the equation. Their accuracy is critical, but so is the volume with which they launch and the difficulty of their shot diet. George's 41.3 three-point percentage last season was the best mark of his career. But he also finished 11th in the league in three-point attempts per game, doing so while taking a ton of difficult shots.

• MORE SIXERS FILM STUDY
• Sixers film study: What does Reggie Jackson bring to the table?
  
• Sixers film study: What does Eric Gordon still have left in the tank?
  
• Sixers film study: How big of an upgrade will Andre Drummond be?
  
• Sixers film study: Can Caleb Martin alter his style to fit in Philadelphia?
  

George sharing the floor with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey will present defenses with dangerous decisions to make, particularly when those players are operating with the ball in their hands and George can be weaponized as an off-ball threat: send a second defender to Embiid or Maxey — both nearly unstoppable when their defender is left on an island — or allow George to free himself for a triple?

According to NBA.com, George shot a blistering 45.4 percent on catch-and-shoot threes last season (326 total attempts).

George uses his height and wingspan — combined with a quick shooting motion featuring a high release point — to get off just about any shot he desires.

Watch how George's easy, fluid shooting form renders a late contest meaningless:

George also loves to spot up from deep in transition, where the Sixers are sure to operate frequently thanks to the aggressive nature of their defense:

The fact that George has developed a reputation as someone easily capable of shooting and scoring over contests has actually enabled him to free himself from them. The best pump fakes are ones that come from players who are serious threats to take difficult shots; George understands this and in turn has mastered the art of pump-faking, letting the defender fly by, resetting and knocking down a shot. Tons of triples like this one appeared on film:

George is the perfect off-ball wing to play in between Embiid and Maxey because of his skills as a catch-and-shoot player. But he has far more to offer on the offensive end of the floor.

Scoring

The last time George played a full season and averaged fewer than 20 points per game was his sophomore campaign: the 2012-13 season. That is how long George has been one of the game's most prolific scorers, a serious threat at all three levels and a wise foul-drawer to boot.

Oftentimes when players of George's caliber change teams, there are grave concerns about how that star will "fit" with his new teammates, particularly when they join forces with other stars. What makes George such a brilliant talent is that no such worries seem to exist because he simply good at every single aspect of scoring the basketball — not just as someone playing off of stars, but as a focal point himself.

George is perfectly comfortable launching threes off the dribble, and is entirely unbothered by the strongest of contests. All he needs is the tiniest bit of space and he will make the defense pay:

George is also a smooth operator off the dribble in the mid-range area, where he can break down a defender with a series of dribble moves before stopping on a dime, rising up and knocking down a jumper:

When the clock is dwindling, George is able to use his terrific shooting motion to enable himself to generate a viable shot within seconds:

If George has a mismatch against a smaller player, he is happy to take that defender into the post and go to work in the weight room:

Do not let George's versatility distract you from the fact that he is also a lethal scorer in the old-fashioned way. Watch him draw Anthony Davis, one of the league's best and most versatile defensive bigs, in a one-on-one matchup and take Davis to school:

George may not be qualified to be the leading shot-taker a championship contender, but now he slots in as the Sixers' third option — a role he is hilariously overqualified for.

Playmaking

Passing has never been a strong suit for George, though he averaged more than five assists per game in three straight seasons with the Clippers before that figure declined in 2023-24. The Sixers do not need him to post career-best assist numbers with Embiid and Maxey already on the floor — not to mention a second unit playmaker like Kyle Lowry — but George having the ability to make somewhat complex reads and execute properly would be a boon for the Sixers' offense, simplifying things to a tremendous degree for the All-Star trio's supporting cast members.

What George has working in his favor is that any scorer of his caliber is going to walk right into opportunities to collect assists just because of the amount of attention being paid to them when they have a live dribble. Here, George quickly disposes of his defender, creating an advantage that leads to a kick-out pass and wide open three:

George will share the floor with Embiid quite often, but he also may spearhead many of the lineups that do not feature Embiid. If so, he has the ability to help give Andre Drummond utility on the offensive end. Aside from going back up after grabbing offensive rebounds, Drummond's best chances to score will come on alley-oops as a roller and quick dump-off passes like this that George appears to specialize in:

George had the second-best season of his career from a ball security standpoint last season, doing a much better job of limiting his turnovers. But there are still plenty of plays like this on film where a poor read and less-than-crisp pass combine into an easy turnover:

What remains to be seen is how George's playmaking abilities transform now that he is teaming with two high-powered offensive players.

Defense

As his advanced age, George is not the same defender he once was, nor does he have the same consistency on that end of the floor. But he is still capable of creating havoc on defense thanks to his outstanding frame, quick hands and reliable instincts. He is a strong basketball thinker who knows how to properly position himself to force turnovers, a quality that will be particularly valuable for Sixers head coach Nick Nurse, who prefers to use aggressive defensive schemes in hopes of winning the possession battle.

George is capable of taking a basketball straight from the ball-handler:

And he is also adept at jumping passing lanes and getting his hands on the basketball to stall possessions with a deflection or ignite transition with a steal.

George knows the right times to be aggressive, particularly as a doubler, and will be encouraged to make plays like this in a Sixers jersey:

However, because George has quite a bit of mileage at this point, he is at times vulnerable to players with quick first steps. He lacks the same recovery ability he once had as his explosiveness has, to a degree, waned in recent years:

The Sixers should probably limit George's time handling challenging defensive assignments in the regular season, not just to ensure he is at his best on the offensive end, but also to save their bullets for when the playoffs arrive and he may be asked to guard some of the league's most dominant perimeter scorers. The Sixers are afforded the opportunity to make this decision because their two projected starters alongside George, Embiid and Maxey — wings Kelly Oubre Jr. and Caleb Martin — should be more than up to the task to take down those assignments.

Conclusion

It is unclear whether or not George can make the Sixers a true championship-caliber team; partly because of the uncertainty that comes with Embiid's health and performance in the playoffs and partly because of the outright dominance of the reigning champion Boston Celtics.

What is clear, though, is this: if George, Embiid and Maxey are all healthy and click the way they are expected to, this could be the most dangerous Sixers team of Embiid's entire career.

Follow Adam on Twitter: @SixersAdam

Follow PhillyVoice on Twitter: @thephillyvoice