{"id":695086,"date":"2026-04-03T02:07:29","date_gmt":"2026-04-03T02:07:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/695086\/"},"modified":"2026-04-03T02:07:29","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T02:07:29","slug":"76ers-paul-george-admits-shocking-benefits-of-suspension","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/695086\/","title":{"rendered":"76ers’ Paul George Admits Shocking Benefits of Suspension"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\"Sixers\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPhoto by Harry How\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Sixers All-Star Paul George<\/p>\n

After being issued a 25-game suspension from the NBA, Philadelphia 76ers<\/a> star Paul George is back and thriving.<\/p>\n

On Wednesday, April 1, George was a major contributor in the Sixers\u2019 153-131 blowout victory against the Washington Wizards<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The matchup was just George\u2019s fourth appearance since serving his suspension. One might\u2019ve assumed that George would need time to get settled in and shake off the rust after having such a long layover.<\/p>\n

But his return has been the opposite. George is refreshed and feeling better than ever.<\/p>\n

Paul George Explains The Benefits Of Time Off From Sixers
\n\"Paul<\/p>\n

GettyNEW YORK, NEW YORK \u2013 JANUARY 04: Paul George #8 of the Philadelphia 76ers in action against the Brooklyn Nets<\/a> at Barclays Center on January 04, 2025 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Luke Hales\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

\u201cThat time off was the time I needed for my body. That\u2019s been, really what unlocked me to kind of play free and play aggressive,\u201d George told reporters after Wednesday\u2019s win over the Washington Wizards, via Sixers Wire<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want people to get it confused. I was healthy, but I needed time. I was coming back to try to hopefully, the games would\u2019ve gotten me into shape, but the games were coming too fast, and my body wasn\u2019t responding quickly enough as the games were going on. So, I knew. It was a hard decision. Like, do I keep playing? And I knew my body needed a little time to kinda heal without so much pounding and wear and tear. So, I knew this 25-game suspension, I was gonna use it wisely.\u201d<\/p>\n

George prioritized staying in the best shape possible without the opportunity to play in an actual NBA game.<\/p>\n

Paul George Is Having A Strong Run With The Sixers
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

GettyCHICAGO, ILLINOIS \u2013 DECEMBER 08: Paul George #8 of the Philadelphia 76ers dribbles against the Chicago Bulls<\/a> during the second half at the United Center on December 08, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Michael Reaves\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

In his first game back on March 25 against the Chicago Bulls, George shot 50.0% from the field to score 28 points.<\/p>\n

He has just one game shooting under 47.0% from the field and producing fewer than 25 points since returning. Against the Miami Heat<\/a>, George struggled just like the rest of his team.<\/p>\n

But the bounce-back effort in DC was phenomenal. In 30 minutes of action, George went 15-22 from the field. He produced 39 points. George also added six assists, five rebounds, and three steals to his stat line for the night.<\/p>\n

In 31 games this season, George is putting up 17.5 points per game, while making 44.1% of his shots from the field. He\u2019s also posting averages of 5.4 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.7 steals per game.<\/p>\n

The Sixers will take on the Minnesota Timberwolves<\/a> on Thursday night. They will look to maintain their playoff position after getting ahead of the Toronto Raptors<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tJustin Grasso<\/a> Justin Grasso is an NBA reporter, covering trending league news, transactions, injuries, and player developments. He is a credentialed journalist with nearly a decade of insider access. More about Justin Grasso<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tMore Heavy on Sixers\n\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\tLoading more stories\n\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Photo by Harry How\/Getty Images Sixers All-Star Paul George After being issued a 25-game suspension from the NBA,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":695087,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3780],"tags":[7,6,682,468,3892,683],"class_list":{"0":"post-695086","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-washington-wizards","8":"tag-basketball","9":"tag-nba","10":"tag-washington","11":"tag-washington-wizards","12":"tag-washingtonwizards","13":"tag-wizards"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/116338340932731786","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/695086","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=695086"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/695086\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/695087"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=695086"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=695086"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=695086"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}