Joel Embiid made no effort to minimize the magnitude of Paul George\u2019s suspension.<\/p>\n
\u201cImpossible,\u201d Embiid said Saturday night when asked about replacing George. \u201cI know people have mixed feelings about what he brings to the table, but you can\u2019t replace it. He does everything for us. Defensively, probably our best perimeter defender. Offensively, he can play so many roles \u2014 knock down shots, post up, creation, playmaking. Can\u2019t replace it. It\u2019s going to be tough moving forward, but we\u2019ve just got to try.\u201d<\/p>\n
One silver lining for the Sixers is that Embiid can make everything around him appear irrelevant when he\u2019s at or near his top level. He scored 40 points Saturday night for the first time in the regular season since January of 2024 and the Sixers pulled out a 124-114 win over the Pelicans.<\/a><\/p>\n Of course, life for the Sixers without George isn\u2019t as simple as tossing the ball to Embiid and hoping for the best. The 35-year-old forward was suspended 25 games Saturday for violating the NBA\u2019s anti-drug policy.<\/a> Sixers head coach Nick Nurse indicated he won\u2019t be entirely separate from the team during his suspension.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s still part of the team,\u201d Nurse said. \u201cHe can\u2019t play the games but is still allowed in the facility and practices and all that stuff. We\u2019re going to make sure those things continue to happen to get him back. And I just told him listen, as with all our players dealing with this type of stuff, we care about him. We\u2019re here to help him \u2026 in any way possible. Got to get through it the best way we can, and then go from there.\u201d<\/p>\n No Sixer shared any further information about the circumstances of George\u2019s suspension. He told ESPN\u2019s Shams Charania<\/a> he \u201cmade the mistake of taking an improper medication\u201d while \u201cseeking treatment\u201d for a mental health issue.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI obviously don\u2019t have all the details,\u201d Embiid said. \u201cAll we know is whatever was tweeted, so it\u2019s hard to comment on it. But I know Paul. He means well. We\u2019re going to hold down the fort until he comes back.\u201d<\/p>\n The suspension has many on-court ripple effects. <\/p>\n Dominick Barlow rejoined the starting lineup Saturday. Trendon Watford and Jabari Walker returned to the rotation. Jared McCain played a major role off the bench, sinking four three-pointers and meshing well with Embiid. After taking just three field goals over 37 minutes in the Sixers\u2019 victory Thursday vs. the Kings<\/a>, Kelly Oubre Jr. had a strong all-around night with 19 points, 10 rebounds and four assists.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cAs soon as the news came out, I hit Jared, Justin (Edwards), Trendon: \u2018Listen, y\u2019all got to be ready,\u2019\u201d Tyrese Maxey said. \u201cI know Kelly\u2019s going to be ready; that\u2019s just who he is. But Jared, Justin, Trendon \u2026 those three guys haven\u2019t played in playoff basketball. And last year we weren\u2019t good, so we didn\u2019t play meaningful basketball.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cNow, going into the All-Star break, we want to be playing the right away. After the All-Star break, we want to be stepping in the right directions and we want to be looking toward trying to get into position for the postseason. So we need those guys to really step up and play good basketball for us.\u201d<\/p>\n Notably, Embiid didn\u2019t rest much against the Kings.<\/p>\n He logged 39 minutes and was fresh enough to nail crunch-time jumpers. The seven-time All-Star\u2019s left knee still requires regular maintenance, but it hasn\u2019t looked problematic lately. Embiid\u2019s averaged 29.9 points, 8.5 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.0 blocks since Dec. 12.\u00a0<\/p>\n