George is injured again! The Philadelphia 76ers are in trouble, and the giant combination has become a "luxury joke"

January 27th news , Paul George 's injury problem has once again become the focus. Recently, in the game between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Chicago Bulls, George had to leave the game early due to an injury to his left pinky finger. With this injury, George's status and Philadelphia's future are once again questionable.

Since entering 2025, George's performance has warmed up. He scored 20+ in three consecutive games , and even scored 30 points against the Cleveland Cavaliers, who ranked first in the league. However, this state did not last long, and he was absent again due to injury. This means that George not only needs time to recover, but may also fall into the cycle of finding the rhythm of the game again after his return.

Last summer, the 34- year-old George chose to leave the Los Angeles Clippers and signed a four- year, $212 million maximum contract with Philadelphia. However, judging from the current performance, the return of this contract has obviously not met expectations. So far this season, George has only played in 30 of the team's 44 games , averaging 32 minutes per game , contributing 17.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.7 steals, with a shooting percentage of only 42.9% and a three-point shooting percentage of only 36.5% .

Philadelphia's struggle this season is not only related to George's performance, but also to the state of the team's core player, Embiid. Last summer, Embiid had just completed a three- year, $193 million early contract extension with Philadelphia. However, this MVP -level center's performance this season has failed to meet expectations. He has only played in 13 games, averaging 24.4 points, 7.9 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game, with a shooting percentage of only 45.2% . Such data performance is in sharp contrast to the value of his contract.

In contrast, young Tyrese Maxey has become the only bright spot in Philadelphia. The 24- year-old rising star signed a five- year, $204 million contract last summer, but his performance is worth more than the money. This season, Maxey averaged 37.9 minutes per game, contributing 26.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals, and shouldered the heavy responsibility for the team conscientiously.

Despite having the luxurious " Big Three " consisting of George, Embiid and Maxey , Philadelphia's performance is not outstanding. So far, the team has only achieved a record of 17 wins and 27 losses, ranking 11th in the Eastern Conference, only one win away from the play-in spot. However, frequent injuries and unstable lineup rotations make people pessimistic about their playoff prospects.

If this situation does not improve, Philadelphia may not even qualify for the playoffs this season and become the biggest laughing stock in the league. And the luxurious lineup they have spent a huge amount of money to build may be ridiculed by the outside world as " the happy atmosphere in the air " .