April 4, 2026, 9:01 a.m. ET

PHILADELPHIA — For a star to return to form, one has to challenge himself and take big steps forward. It’s almost like something of a checklist to keep track of for the future.

For Philadelphia 76ers star Paul George, his challenge in Friday’s 115-103 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves was to attack. After the loss to the Miami Heat, George said he wanted to be able to attack the rim and trust his body a bit more to do those things.

He had 23 points on 6-for-15 shooting against the Wolves, but he got to the line 10 times. That ability to explode, get to the basket, draw fouls, and get to the line is going to be huge for him and the Sixers going forward. Especially, when the playoffs roll around.

“Yeah, absolutely,” said George. “I mean, the better I’m starting to feel, the more I’m just going to try to continue to challenge myself. It was, for sure, an intent to play at the rim, to play downhill, and play physical because I’m thinking down the line towards playoff time, and what’s that environment gonna be like, and that’s what I need to be ready for.”

Not only does George getting downhill help his own offense, but it helps everyone around him, too. The Timberwolves had to make decisions all night long whether to help on George on the drive and leave guys like Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid open or play him straight up one-on-one. Either way, it’s a match up that the Sixers really like as they move forward with the season.

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“It opens up a lot,” said Maxey. “It opens up a lot for him as well, because a lot of times they don’t really want to help off guys like me and Joel. So, he has a lot of space, and for him to be able to get down and get into the paint just opens up his shot, too. You know what I mean? He just creates another dynamic that we haven’t had, and it feels really good. It’s good to watch.”

Attacking the basket has been checked off the list. Now, the next challenge for George has to be playing in a back-to-back. He has yet to do that on the season and he will have an opportunity on Saturday against the Detroit Pistons. He will look to make a case for himself to play against Detroit as he builds himself up.

“I mean, I want to see how I feel in the morning and go from there, honestly,” he explained. “I absolutely, 100% want to play tomorrow. I think where we’re at, continue to chip away and, you know, again, just have some consistency. So absolutely, I want to play tomorrow.”