Paul George '100%' Sure 76ers Will Turn Season Around amid Embiid Drama: 'It's on Us'

Paul George remains confident the Philadelphia 76ers can right the ship this season amid their turbulent start.

Injuries have been a persistent issue for the Sixers, with George and fellow star Joel Embiid missing long stretches. The veteran wing told reporters Tuesday the team can at least control its "effort and energy" on a given night, and focusing on that can make a big difference.

"I mean, obviously, we're a little limited, but I think what we can control is just our effort, our energy, and just doing things a little harder, but we'll change this," he said. We'll change this around. I'm 100 percent betting down on that that we'll change this. It's on us. We got to control what we can."

In nearly any other situation, a 3-13 record to this point would have a team already looking toward the draft lottery. Philadelphia, however, can't afford to throw this year away when it built this roster with championship aspirations.

Some reason for optimism remains.

Five games separate the Sixers from the fifth-place Miami Heat. One hot stretch could be the difference between the bottom of the Eastern Conference and a top-six position.

We've yet to really see them at full strength, too, with their stars in and out of the lineup so much. The trio of George, Embiid and Tyrese Maxey have logged a total of six minutes together, per NBA.com.

A more critical assessment of the 76ers starts with the fact George and Embiid simply can't stay healthy.

George, who missed the first five games, made eight appearances before hyperextending the same knee that kept him out of action. Embiid had a similarly brief return to the court thanks to his knee trouble flaring up again.

The Athletic's Sam Amick provided a troubling perspective on the 2022-23 MVP's health Tuesday during an appearance on FanDuel TV's Run It Back:

Even if Embiid and George were healthy right now, the general vibes around the Sixers are downright rotten, and the dynamic can be summed up by one general subplot that emerged.

ESPN's Shams Charania reported on Nov. 19 that Philly held a team meeting in which Maxey "challenged Embiid to be on time to team activities." The story prompted Embiid to say the person who leaked that detail is a "real piece of s--t." A wider conversation about the veteran center opened in addition to speculation over the identity of the leaker.

And because we're in an era of player podcasts, Charania's report became fodder for George's Podcast P show.

For his part, George can only accentuate the positive. He's not going to publicly proclaim the season is over before December. However, it's impossible not to contrast his comments with what has transpired.

We're only a few weeks away from the 2024-25 Philadelphia 76ers having their team photo included in the dictionary under the definition for "cooked."