With an annual salary of US$51.7 million, he finally returned after 10 games of truce! The team seems to have no room for George.

This season’s NBA regular season has been open for more than two weeks, and many stars have suffered injuries. For example, James has a sciatic nerve problem and has been unable to play since the preseason. He will not be able to return until mid-November at the earliest. The Lakers were able to achieve a 70% winning record without James. It seemed surprising, but in fact the lineup configuration was more suitable for Doncic, and the team was more united. Another example is Kawhi of the Clippers. After suffering an ankle sprain while playing against the Heat, he began to take a truce. No one, including coach Tyronn Lue, knew when he would return or the specific recovery status of his injury. Many of the Clippers' veterans couldn't play anymore. Tyronn Lue pushed Collins to the bench. The team only had Harden, who persisted despite being sick, in free fall.

Including the Spurs' Fox, who has just returned recently, and the Thunder's second-in-command Jie Wei is still recuperating from injury. He needs a long rest from a fractured hand surgery in the offseason. However, Alexander led the Thunder to dominate the Western Conference. There is another high-paid star who finally made his comeback after playing 10 games in the new season, that is Paul George. Paul George's annual salary in the new season is US$51.67 million, ranking 13th in the league. According to the official confirmation of the 76ers, George will be able to return to the team soon after meeting with the doctor. George's Chinese agent, Barbecue Sister, also confirmed that George will return in mid-November at the latest. Because the team responded well overall and played well, George was given more time to recover and ensure his best form this season. The question is, do the 76ers still need George?

The 76ers had 6 wins and 4 losses in the first 10 games, including 5 wins and 1 loss in the first 6 games. However, in recent times, Edgcomb, the top pick, has encountered a rookie wall, and Embiid has been in and out of injury load management, which has caused the team to lose stability. However, the performance of the 76ers since the start of the season is still far beyond expectations: Maxi averaged 33 points, 5 rebounds and 8 assists per game, Oubre + Grimes + Edgecombe all averaged 15+ per game. Even Watford, a two-year, 5.2 million contract signed by the 76ers during the offseason, was able to score an exaggerated triple-double of 20 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists against the Raptors. Embiid has played 6 games this season, averaging 19.7 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, with two shooting percentages of 45% and 32%. To be honest, Embiid has become a burden to the team. Without him on the court, the team's overall performance is better.

List some data to analyze Embiid's situation, and then look forward to George's future destiny. The best five-man combination of the 76ers this season: Maxi + Oubre + Grimes + Edgecombe + Drummond, beating the opponent by 26.5 points per 100 rounds; the best four-person combination: Maxi + Grimes + Edgecombe + Oubre, beating the opponent by 28.2 points per 100 rounds; the best three-person combination: Maxi + Edgecombe + Grimes, beating the opponent by 17.7 points per 100 rounds; the best duo is Maxi + Grimes, beating the opponent by 12 points per 100 rounds. Any 76ers lineup that consistently wins points does not include Embiid, because Embiid's On-Off value is as low as -4.1, and his team's defensive efficiency on the field is as low as 126.3. What about George? In fact, like Embiid, he has gradually become an outsider.

After signing a four-year supermax salary of 212 million with the 76ers last summer, he played a total of 41 games last season, averaging 16 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game. His two shooting percentages were as low as 42%+35%, and he was plagued by injuries. Throughout the season, he, Embiid + Maxi, the so-called Big Three, played a total of 295 minutes, losing 0.6 points per 100 possessions to their opponents, and their offensive efficiency was far from the league average. A simple comparison shows that Maxi's On-Off value this season is an exaggerated +21.5. When he is on the court, the 76ers are among the top eight in the league. When he is not on the court, the 76ers are at the bottom of the league. Last season, any combination of George and the 76ers' rotation framework (such as George + Maxey, George + Oubre) all had negative values, with an average loss of 3.6 points per 100 possessions, the only one on the team.

It can be simply understood that from a salary perspective, George will definitely lock in the starting position at the third position after his return, and his average output of 25 points per game can match his salary level. But he has been plagued by injuries in the past few seasons, and his state is like Bill's, which is irreversible and irreversible. On the other hand, from a positional perspective, the 76ers' backcourt has locked in Maxi + Edgecombe, Oubre + Grimes + Watford, all of whom are well qualified for the third position. Take Oubre, for example, who averaged 18.6 points per game + 51% + 38% shooting percentage, but his salary is only 8.4 million; Grimes has a qualified quotation, and as a substitute, he can contribute 17.2 points and 4.4 assists per game. Moreover, the 76ers have two guns in the backcourt, which are extremely suitable for these forwards. They can play at a fast pace, open up space, and switch defenses.

Obviously, George does not seem to meet these conditions. And his comeback will definitely suppress the growth space of young people and disrupt the team's existing rhythm. George has three years and US$162 million left on his current contract, as well as a trade guarantee of 10.58 million. Regardless of the trade guarantee, in terms of the contract alone, it is difficult for him to be traded, and he has gradually become a premium contract. The 76ers management has no choice. From the perspective of the coaching staff, the team's current structure does not need George and there is no place for him. However, we can only treat the dead horse as a live doctor, and let George come back to take a look first. The worst outcome is just like what the Rockets did to Wall, giving you a salary and watching the game at home; or like Bill, being bought out after the season is postponed.