Paul George

Inspired, perhaps off of sheer presence alone, Paul George’s new Philadelphia 76ers teammates and coaches — on multiple occasions — settled on the word “balance” in describing the biggest luxury of having their nine-time All-Star officially in the fold. The descriptive word may have been accurate, but George certainly didn’t seem to need it during his smooth-as-always attacks of the rim. Owner of one of league history’s most aesthetically-pleasing playstyles, George tests it against a similarly-talented Bradley Beal, losing him ever slightly with a between-the-leg spin maneuver. Steadying himself for Jusuf Nurkić’s late-arriving double team, George, in mid-fall, softly floats in an and-one bucket nonetheless. The see-saw, two-point battle would ultimately go the Phoenix Suns’ way on November 4, 2024, but George, discovering his groove of old during the evening’s middle quarters, ran up the scoreboards for 15 points, five rebounds, four assists, one steal, and one trifecta.