Paul George providing everything Sixers need during stretch run

It's been a "who'd have thought it" week in Philadelphia sports.

Who would have thought the playoff-surging Flyers would bring in 19-year-old Porter Martone and give him 17 minutes of play in an important game?

Who would have thought that Andrew Painter would pitch an absolute gem in his first MLB outing after a rough minor league run last season?

Who would have thought that multiple stories would come out with sources questioning the competency of Eagles starting quarterback Jalen Hurts?

Who would have thought that through six games of the season, rookie Justin Crawford is the Phillies best hitter, highlighted by a game-winning single on Wednesday?

And who would have thought that Paul George would come back from his 25-game suspension and average 28 points in his first four games?

The Sixers most likely didn't think the production from their 6-foot-8 forward would be this prominent right away, but they'll certainly take it. He had his best game as a Sixer on Wednesday against the lowly Washington Wizards, as he collected 39 points, dealt six assists and snared five rebounds in the team's 153-131 victory without Joel Embiid, who missed the game with an illness. 

George has been nothing short of special since returning from his drug-related suspension, as he's shot 53 percent from the floor, including 43 percent from three. The specialness that is George right now isn't just game related. The reasoning behind it is.

While serving his punishment, George worked tirelessly to get his body, and mind, into the shape needed for him to return to the form that made him a nine-time All-Star. He was on the floor after practices, working hard on one-on-one drills both offensively and defensively. He was the other team's star player for the practice squad in getting his teammates ready for games. He stayed late after shootarounds on game days, not only honing his own skills but helping young teammates do the same. With no reward in immediate site, George was eyeing the big picture of a return to an NBA game nearly two months after his suspension. Because of it, he's been able to average close to 32 minutes in the four games since returning.

"He showed really good leadership by coming out and being aggressive and getting us going at the start," said coach Nick Nurse to reporters after the Sixers upped their record to 42-34 with a win over Washington. "And great to see a variety, too. He got some drives, transition threes, got some one-on-one plays from a variety of different places on the floor. Great job by him to get us jump-started in both halves."

The offensive dynamic that might be when the team is fully healthy is surely mind boggling. George's outside shooting — he's averaging close to 12 three-point attempts a game — will do wonders in spreading the floor, making scoring so much easier for the likes of Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe and Kelly Oubre Jr. His passing is a key part of Embiid being able to score down low the times he does set up down there, and his perimeter defense is among the best on the team. He is the do-everything the team and Nurse need if they are going to make any kind of push in the postseason.

"I got several reports from staff that said his workouts (during suspension) were really, really good today," Nurse recalled. "I just want to make sure I mention how good he was defensively (Wednesday), too. There were some stretches of non-defense, but I thought he stood in there and made some great stops, steals and knocked the ball away quite a bit. He looks good out there, both sides of the ball.

"I think he feels really good, physically. I think he believes in what he can do, physically, so that's probably helping him mentally as well. But I also believe those guys are getting him, Tyrese especially, involved and finding him, calling plays for him, set plays, side out of bounds plays, all those kinds of things."

NOTES

The Sixers moved into a tie for sixth place in the East with Toronto. The Sixers hold the tiebreaker against the Raptors... The starters shot 69.2 percent from the floor (45-for-65) against Washington... After the Sixers listed him as out in Wednesday's injury report, Embiid took to X for some cryptic messaging, alluding to it being April Fool's day and then saying "I guess they won't let me play basketball." Not sure what that was about... The Sixers will be home Friday against the Minnesota Timberwolves and Saturday against the Detroit Pistons... If the season were to end now and the Sixers held the sixth spot, their first-round opponent would be the New York Knicks.