An inside look at Paul George’s suspension and his contributions to the Sixers from the sidelines

As the 76ers wrapped Monday’s shootaround, Paul George lingered on the court with rookie VJ Edgecombe to work on midrange moves. A few minutes later, George and All-Star Tyrese Maxey lined up along the baseline for a footrace.

And before the media was permitted to view the team’s session to prepare for that night’s matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder, George had been mimicking reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as part of the scout team.

George will finally step back on the court for the Sixers Wednesday night against the Chicago Bulls after serving a 25-game suspension for violating the NBA’s anti-drug policy. But for the past seven-plus weeks, George has still attempted to impact his teammates behind the scenes.

“I’ve been very much a part of this group,” George said during a news conference Tuesday afternoon, his first time speaking publicly since being suspended. “ … Just staying attentive and engaged as much as possible.”

» READ MORE: Paul George talked to the media after his 25-game ban. Here’s what he said about his ‘poor decision.’

George declined to reveal the substance he took that triggered his positive drug test. He called it a “poorly timed decision” because his “body wasn’t where [he] wanted it to be, and the expectation to perform.” When asked about the moment when the Sixers learned of the suspension, George said he felt obvious “devastation” that he had let his team and its fan base down.

The time away, though, allowed George to get in a “much better place physically,” after undergoing knee surgery last summer and suffering multiple injuries last season. He spent significant time in weightlifting and conditioning sessions.

He also was still permitted to participate in all team activities except games, at home and on the road. That was a chance for George to up the leadership — as a 16-year veteran and former perennial All-Star known for his prowess as a three-level scorer and versatile perimeter defender — that he vocalized as a goal at the team’s preseason media day.

After a lengthy meeting with coach Nick Nurse last month about the Sixers’ strategy to guard the rim, for instance, Nurse reminded George that he has the authority to speak up when such topics surface during team film sessions. Before shootaround in Denver last week, George and Edgecombe sat on either side of assistant coach Rico Hines, who held an open laptop to study game tape. On the floor as a scout-teamer, George has been “killing it” while imitating some of the NBA’s top players, according to new two-way guard Dalen Terry.

“He’s got to be the guy that we have on the scout, not Paul George,” Terry jokingly told The Inquirer last week. “He tries to be himself. I’m like, ‘No, that guy [you’re trying to mimic] can’t do that.’ We’ll be getting on him about that, but it’s a good problem to have.”

Before and after those team sessions, George regularly plays one-on-one with Edgecombe and Terry, periodically stopping the action “to teach me right there,” Terry said. When Edgecombe scored a career-high 38 points in last week’s win at the Sacramento Kings, he credited George with helping him sharpen the types of midrange shots he hit in that game. Terry added that George has reminded him to use the length of his 6-foot-6 frame to his advantage, and has demonstrated which isolation moves can help create space for a jumper.

“Do whatever ‘P’ do,” said Terry, who has gotten rotation minutes in recent weeks. “Even if I never did it before, it’s like, ‘[Expletive], look at what ‘P’ did.’”

George, though, could not be inside the arena beginning two hours before each Sixers game. He called that “one of the toughest parts” of this suspension, because of all the time he spent alone watching on television inside hotel rooms. After those games, however, second-year guard Justin Edwards said George regularly dropped words of encouragement in the team’s group chat.

“I’m preparing as if I’m playing, so to speak,” George said. “But then not to be able to be fully a part of a game and helping guys through the games and seeing the game up close, that was hard.”

» READ MORE: Sixers star Joel Embiid upgraded to questionable to play against the Chicago Bulls

The timing of George’s absence was indeed poor for the Sixers (39-33), who have been severely shorthanded while fighting for postseason positioning in a crowded Eastern Conference with 10 games remaining.

Maxey sustained a right little finger tendon sprain on March 7, and is scheduled to be reevaluated in approximately one week. Former MVP Joel Embiid has played in only two games since Feb. 7 due to an oblique strain in his right side, a shin stress reaction, and a right knee issue — but was listed as questionable to return Wednesday on the NBA’s injury report. Starting wing Kelly Oubre Jr. has been out for the past seven games with an elbow sprain, but is scheduled to be reevaluated later this week.

So George could be the first among that group to return. Though he expects some rust, George also now feels explosive and strong enough to be a primary scoring option alongside Edgecombe and Quentin Grimes.

“The only way to pay it back,” George said, “is to just give everything once I get back out there. So that’s just what I’m excited for: just go out there and give it everything.”

Yet even through his seven weeks away from game action, Sixers teammates such as Edgecombe and Terry have still felt George’s impact.

“I don’t take it for granted,” Terry said. “I always thank him and say I appreciate it, no matter if the one-on-one is heated or not.”