BOSTON -- The Philadelphia 76ers will continue to lean on their budding backcourt of Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe to carry them to success, but when things get a bit hectic, they need a cool and calming presence to come up with a big play.That is where Paul George comes into play. While George may not be the superstar player he once was earlier in his career, he is a guy who can still knock down shots at a high clip and give Philadelphia a calming presence on the floor.A big example was in Tuesday's 111-97 Game 2 win over the Boston Celtics. With the Sixers leading by only two early in the fourth and the crowd coming to a swell following buckets by Derrick White and Payton Pritchard, it was George who knocked down a big jumper to quiet the crowd and right the ship for the Sixers."It’s just trying to make sure we're pretty balanced at all times," said George.
"Just make sure we're just calm the game down, slow the game down. I think that's kind of the role I've kind of adjusted to is making sure we're, you know, they go on a run, or we need a good basket, or a good look, I think I can get my shot off, or I can still create and find people and put us at ease."Going through Paul George's shots from Game 2 last night, man, this right here was a big jumper. Celtics opened the 4th with a Derrick White triple and a Payton Pritchard jumper to make it a 2-point game.
Crowd is getting loud, and George settles the team down. #Sixerspic.twitter.com/QpEZSrIBCf— Ky Carlin (@Ky_Carlin) April 22, 2026The Sixers are going to rely on Edgecombe and Maxey to be the ones to lead this group on the offensive end and make things happen, but it doesn't hurt to have a guy like George who can step in and knock down shots when needed. He has been doing this for so long, and even though he isn't "the guy" anymore, he can be a calming influence for this group."So, yeah, man, it’s just kind of be the guy that can settle us down a little bit when we need it," George finsihed. "Again, I got great shot makers around me, so my job is easy in those moments."George and the Sixers will host the Celtics in Game 3 on Friday.This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Paul George talks role of keeping Sixers calm, balanced on the floor