76ers 3 Thoughts: Grimes Shining, George’s Disappointing Season and More

This season has been a tough one to watch for Philadelphia 76ers fans everywhere. The team currently is sitting with a 23-49 record. Fans are back to having to check Tankathon’s draft website on a nightly basis for updates about the Sixers’ draft lottery odds. However, all is not lost. The addition of Quentin Grimes at this season’s trade deadline has proven to be a home-run move. The Sixers are also in solid position to, with some luck in the draft lottery, come away with a pick inside the top-six. This edition of 76ers thoughts dives into Grimes’ exhilarating play over the past few months, an obituary on Paul George’s debut season in Philadelphia and more:

Grimes Shines in Otherwise Bleak Season of Sixers Basketball

There have been few positives for Sixers fans to grab hold of throughout this disastrous season. One of them was Grimes’ production since being acquired at the trade deadline. Grimes had proven himself to be a capable role player through the first four years of his career. He looked like he would fit in as one of the top players off the bench for the Sixers. However, his play since coming to Philadelphia has blown through any and all expectations while also raising his ceiling to all new heights.

Grimes has played 20 games in a Sixers uniform, with 17 of them coming as a starter. Due to injuries to multiple players on the roster, Grimes was forced to step into an increased role. Once he was put in the starting lineup, he flourished as the team’s top scoring option. In 17 games as a starter, he is averaging 23.9 points while shooting 50.7% from the field and 40.2% from 3-point range.

While his numbers as a starter have been far above expectations, Grimes’ production jumped up even higher in recent weeks. Through 12 games in the month of March, Grimes is averaging 28.0 points, 4.9 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 2.1 steals per game. He has gone off for 40-plus points twice during this recent stretch of play.

Grimes has been a threat from all over the floor. A large portion of his scoring production has come from beyond the arc. The 24-year old, as a starter, is shooting 40.2% from 3-point range on a hefty 7.8 attempts per game. Grimes also has found a lot of success attacking off the dribble and using the threat of his jumper to get space to drive to the basket. In the few months he has been on the Sixers, Grimes already has more 30-plus point games than George.

Outside of his scoring ability, Grimes is also beginning to find other ways to produce when out on the floor. He crashes the glass hard, resulting in five or more rebounds in 11 of his 20 games in a Sixers uniform. He grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds in an overtime loss to the Houston Rockets back on March 17. In addition to rebounding, Grimes is also flashing some potential as a playmaker. He dished out a career-high 10 assists in a recent loss to the San Antonio Spurs. However, Grimes has had some issues taking care of the basketball. He is committing 2.9 turnovers per game since coming to Philadelphia.

Grimes has proven capable of, at minimum, being a valuable 3-and-D player who also possesses a lot of upside. He will be a restricted free agent this coming offseason, meaning the Sixers have the opportunity to match any offer he receives from another team. Retaining Grimes should be a major priority this offseason.

There is one potential obstacle restricting the Sixers’ path to re-signing Grimes. The Brooklyn Nets are likely going to be the only team in the league with the salary cap space to threaten to sign Grimes away from Philadelphia. If they offer Grimes upwards of $20 million per year, the Sixers could potentially reconsider matching that type of offer sheet. The Sixers do not have much available salary cap space. Signing Grimes to that type of number would constrain their ability to potentially re-sign standout forward Guerschon Yabusele.

Considering Grimes’ play in recent weeks, a case can be made that re-signing him should be the team’s top priority this offseason. Keeping Grimes in Philadelphia would be the icing on top of the cake of a Sixers’ backcourt already consisting of Tyrese Maxey and Jared McCain.

George’s Disappointing Season Comes to an End

The Sixers made official on March 17 what everyone knew was coming. George was ruled out for the season after receiving injections in his left adductor muscle and left knee, as first reported by Shams Charania of ESPN. Before diving into what the future looks like for George, let’s dissect what made his debut season in Philadelphia such a disaster.

George has three years remaining, including a player option for the 2027-28 season, in the four-year, $211.6 million contract he signed with the Sixers last offseason. When he signed that monster contract, the prevailing opinion was the Sixers were adding a proven two-way force who will help push the Sixers further into championship contention. The results instead fell far below expectations, contributing to one of the most disappointing Sixers seasons in recent memory.

The nine-time All-Star battled multiple injuries throughout this season. He suffered a pair of left knee bone bruises within the first month of the season. George also sustained an extensor tendon injury to his left pinky finger which caused him to miss some time. Between all the injuries, George managed to suit up for just 41 games. When he was able to be on the floor, the results largely disappointed. George averaged 16.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.8 steals per game while shooting 43.0% from the field and 35.8% from 3-point range. His points per game were the lowest, outside of the 2014-15 season when he broke his leg early in the campaign, since the 2011-12 season.

Did George have just one bad season or is his performance this season cause for long-term concern for the Sixers? Diving under the hood, it is clear there are some major worrying signs about George’s abilities moving forward. At 34 years old, George is showing signs of decline physically. He no longer has the same burst and athleticism that helped him become one of the league’s best scorers over the past decade. As a result, he is unable to get to the rim at the same rate of earlier in his career. The amount of his field goal attempts coming from within three feet of the basket fell to just 10.5%. That number stood at 15.0% over the previous five seasons of his career. His inability to successfully get to the rim is forcing him to take more difficult and inefficient jumpers. Unless George is able to reorient his game around primarily being an efficient jump shooter, his offensive numbers are likely going to continue to decline.

Can George still be a valuable player for the Sixers throughout the remainder of his contract? Despite the concerns about his offensive production, there are still ways he can make a positive impact. While George is a diminished player offensively, he still has enough tools to find ways to produce on that end of the floor. He is a career 38.3% shooter from 3-point range, even factoring in his dip in efficiency this season. George can also function as a secondary playmaker in addition to retaining enough outside shooting ability to be an effective player offensively. On the defensive end, George proved he can still be disruptive by averaging 1.8 steals per game this season.

Will George live up to the mammoth contract he signed with the Sixers? Clearly the answer is no. However, he should still be able to be a positive player when on the floor. The Sixers can work around some of George’s diminishing abilities by handing him a smaller role of the offense. Laying aside the questions about Joel Embiid’s future, playing next to Maxey and McCain should allow the Sixers to put less responsibility on George’s plate going forward.

Regardless of the Sixers’ success in adapting to George’s lesser production, it is clear giving him that mammoth contract was a mistake. The chances of trading away an aging George who is still owed roughly $162.4 million is slim to none. The Sixers are going to have to live with George’s declining production for the remainder of his contract.

Standings Update: 76ers, Nets Fighting It Out for Better Lottery Odds

The Sixers’ chances at competing and making a playoff run this season have long been in the rearview mirror. Injuries, combined with poor performance, have led the Sixers to a dismal 23-49 record. However, being able to retain their first-round draft pick could help the Sixers avoid having this be a totally lost season. In order for the Sixers to keep control of their pick, it will have to land inside the first six picks of the draft. If it falls outside the that range, the pick will be owned by the Oklahoma City Thunder due to the Al Horford trade back in 2020.

As of the publishing of this article, the Sixers are sitting with the fifth best lottery odds. If they finished the season in that position, the Sixers would have a 63.9% chance of keeping their pick. At the fifth lottery position, the Sixers would also have a 9.8% chance at getting the No. 1 overall pick.

However, the Sixers currently are tied with the Nets at 23-49. If the two teams remained tied at the conclusion of the season, a tiebreaker would be broken through a random drawing on the night of the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery. The Sixers’ chances at retaining their pick would fall to 45.8% if they finished in the sixth lottery odds. The last time the Sixers were involved in a tiebreaker was in 2024. Philadelphia won a tiebreaker between themselves, the Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Lakers and Orlando Magic for the 16th pick in the draft. The Sixers ultimately drafted McCain, which appears to be a good pick through his rookie season.

Outside of the neck-and-neck battle for lottery position between the Sixers and Nets, it is unlikely the Sixers finish with something other than the fifth or sixth lottery odds. The Sixers are unlikely to pass the New Orleans Pelicans to get the fourth lottery odds. Philadelphia is 3.5 games above New Orleans, who has the 10th-hardest strength of schedule remaining. The Toronto Raptors are two games above the Sixers. The two teams face off against each other on March 30. A Sixers loss to Toronto would go a long way towards ensuring they finish with better lottery odds than the Raptors.

The battle between tanking teams for better lottery odds is going to come down to the wire. The Sixers, Nets and Raptors each have 10 games remaining on the schedule.