The Philadelphia 76ers didn't come out of the 2024-2025 season very happy, with multiple key players losing significant time due to injury, right in the middle of their window of contention.
While the Joel Embiid injury was a massive blow, the free agent signing of Paul George went about as poorly as it could've for the team during the 2024-2025 season.
At the 76ers media day before the 2025-2026 season, George spoke on his first season in Philadelphia, and didn't hold back from judging his year harshly, calling his 15th year in the NBA his "rock bottom."
Paul George calls his first season with the 76ers his 'rock bottom' in the NBA
Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports shared George's opinion of his 2024-2025 season: "Can't get no worse than last year." George said. "That was a rock bottom type of season."
George: "Can't get no worse than last year. That was a rock bottom type of season."
— Kyle Neubeck (@KyleNeubeck) September 26, 2025
Last season at age 34, in the first year of a massive $211 million contract with the 76ers, George played in just 41 games, the second-fewest in the last 10 years for George in the NBA.
When he was on the court, he wasn't at his best. He shot .430 from the field, the lowest his FG percentage has been in the last three years. George averaged 16.2 points per game, by far the fewest in the last 10 years of his NBA career.
He also averaged 5.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.8 steals, 0.5 blocks, and 2.6 turnovers per game for the 76ers in 2024-2025. These numbers aren't bad for George, but with his dramatically lower points scored per game, his production on the court wasn't nearly what the 76ers or George were hoping for in his first year with the team.
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This last season, what George calls his "rock bottom," wasn't far from his worst season in the NBA. While other seasons have had lower numbers in multiple categories, considering the circumstances of his $211 million free agent deal and the lackluster offensive production, this last year was a disaster for George and the 76ers.
The 2025-2026 season is a chance for George to turn things around and bounce back from a brutal start to his 76ers tenure. But it looks like George will miss some of training camp, starting his season off on a shaky footing.
George's candid outlook on his first season with the 76ers is potentially a good sign. He's aware of how rough it went in 2024-2025 and will look to bounce back in a big way this season, even if he might get off to a slow start to training camp.
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