January 11, 2026
Nathan Ray Seebeck/Imagn Images
Paul George was settling for too many mid-range jumpers early in the season. He has recently been more aggressive getting downhill.
As the Sixers traveled to Toronto for a back-to-back against the Raptors on Sunday and Monday, they inhabit a world they have not found themselves in for more than two years.
The Sixers are not just rolling – winners of five of their last six games – but fully healthy. They are 2-0 since reaching full strength, beating the Washington Wizards at home on Wednesday before traveling to Orlando and securing a season series victory over the Magic on Friday.
Ahead of two more games that could have significant implications within the Eastern Conference playoff picture, the Sixers have a stellar Paul George performance they can build on, while head coach Nick Nurse might have found a unit with such terrific defensive versatility that Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey will be able to rest together.
Diving into the numbers in another edition of Sunday stats:
Paul George's shooting line at the rim in the Sixers' win over the Orlando Magic on Friday night.
During Paul George's Sixers tenure, the nine-time All-Star has been far too passive as a driver and taken too many mid-range jumpers. Last season it felt like George was forced into contested pull-ups because he did not have the requisite explosiveness to create advantages off the dribble; this time around it has often felt like more of a choice George was making. George is a brilliant shooter all over the floor, but that was the wrong choice.
George is at his best when he gets all the way to the rim to set the tone and then gets defenders guessing by flowing into his pull-up jumpers. If defenders expect him to rise up and shoot with less respect for his downhill scoring, their contests on those jumpers will be stronger.
While an 0-for-7 three-point shooting line in Orlando will put a damper on what George did against the Magic, his aggression attacking the basket was far and away the best it has been all season. George had only taken more than three shots at the rim one time this season, as he reached four in a loss to the Chicago Bulls last month. That previous season-high was more than doubled on Friday in Orlando:
Paul George shot 6-9 at the rim in the Sixers' win over Orlando on Friday night, bypassing mid-range jumpers more often. A few of his standout paint finishes: pic.twitter.com/j1RZm7zPoQ
— Adam Aaronson's clips (@SixersAdamClips) January 10, 2026
The final 5 Sixers thoughts of 2025 detailed George's shot profile being just as ominous as it was last season, with his average shot distance going up and his frequency of shots within three feet of the rim at about 10 percent for the second straight year. In just a handful of games since, that picture looks considerably more encouraging. George has been more intentional about getting the extra dribble or two downhill, allowing him to utilize his length and touch to take and make easier shots.
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The number of points allowed by a unit comprised of VJ Edgecombe, Quentin Grimes, Kelly Oubre Jr., Paul George and Andre Drummond in 14 minutes across the last two games.
George had a particularly excellent fourth quarter, both in the first and last stretches of the final frame. And for the second straight game, it was George and VJ Edgecombe spearheading a push that put the game out of reach with this lineup, a combination of five players that boasts incredible defensive versatility on the perimeter.
Nurse trusts all three of George, Kelly Oubre Jr. and Quentin Grimes defending one through four, and Edgecombe competes incredibly hard on that end of the floor against all guards. Drummond is a weak rim protector, but if four stellar defensive players are applying constant pressure and keeping the ball in front of them, Drummond's ability to clean the glass at an elite rate becomes even more valuable. According to Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer in Orlando, Nurse made a point to mention that group's dominance defensively.
Now, across its pair of appearances, this five-man unit has more minutes played than points allowed. The sample remains very small, but the dominance has been real, and the jaw-dropping numbers are backed up by the eye test. The video below has every Magic shot attempt and turnover against this lineup on Friday:
Nick Nurse went back to a unit of VJ Edgecombe, Quentin Grimes, Kelly Oubre Jr., Paul George and Andre Drummond to open the fourth quarter of the Sixers' win in Orlando on Friday. That unit once again stood out, with its swarming defense holding the Magic to a 1-10 shooting line: pic.twitter.com/mL91bSyITP
— Adam Aaronson's clips (@SixersAdamClips) January 10, 2026
When the Sixers have been going well this season, it has been abundantly clear that their players have understood their assignments. When Embiid looked like a complete shell of himself early in the season and George was sidelined, the trio of Maxey, Edgecombe and Grimes knew they needed to push the pace while energy guys like Dominick Barlow and Jabari Walker crashed the glass. Lately, the Sixers have had cohesion within the threesome of Embiid, Maxey and George; their offense feels less your-turn-my-turn and more free-flowing.
So, when Nurse trots out this lineup again soon, they should understand their assignment: fly around like crazy on the defensive end of the floor, keep the ball in front and force difficult jumpers. That they held Orlando to just one made shot during this stretch without gambling for steals speaks to the potential here. And if a lineup that does not include Embiid or Maxey is capable of giving the Sixers consistent lifts, Nurse will be able to pair up his best two players and lean into their lethal two-man game far more often.
MORE: When Maxey's ascent from rookie to superstardom began with the "Seven Sixers"
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