Will the Sixers’ offseason additions help them withstand Paul George’s latest injury?

Daryl Morey said during a wide-ranging interview Friday in Las Vegas that Paul George was “very optimistic and excited to get out there and show what he can do” after a clunky first season with the 76ers plagued by multiple injuries and struggles to explode past defenders.

That sentiment has already hit a pothole, after the team announced Monday that George underwent a knee scope for an injury sustained during an offseason workout.

The news can be viewed as another spin on the deflating, frustrating, here-we-go-again loop on the heels of the Sixers’ woeful 2024-25 season. Yet, one lesson Morey said he learned from the injury conundrum is that he needed to add more frontcourt depth and versatility.

» READ MORE: Paul George is injured. Again. The Sixers are in trouble. Again. Nothing changes with this team.

That is reflected in the Sixers’ around-the-edges free-agency moves, which were limited because George, Joel Embiid, and Tyrese Maxey are all on max contracts (and Quentin Grimes is still unsigned as a restricted free agent). They signed Trendon Watford to a veteran-minimum contract, drafted Johni Broome in the second round, and persuaded Jabari Walker and Dominick Barlow to sign two-way deals despite multiple seasons of NBA experience.

“When we had our key players out — Joel, primarily — that really challenged our depth at the big spot,” Morey said. “So we went into this offseason really prioritizing getting some really good young players. ...

“As you get deeper into your roster, you want those players to contribute as much as possible. I do think, last year, that was one of our challenges that we’re hoping to handle better this year.”

To be clear: None of those players is close to George’s level in 2023-24, the season before he signed with the Sixers. But the best ability is availability, and it would be fair for the Sixers to operate with the expectation that George and Embiid (who continues to recover from another knee surgery) are going to miss time during the regular season. The newcomers also help replace lost free agent Guerschon Yabusele and join returnees Andre Drummond and Adem Bona.

Whenever George is sidelined, Watford, Walker, and Barlow are all rotation contenders at power forward.

Watford, who initially entered the NBA as a small-ball center, can initiate offense and create for others as a “point forward.” Walker is a high-energy rebounder and defender and can also pass. Barlow has been a quick study as a late summer league addition and has been praised by coach T.J. DiLeo for his emphasis on crashing the offensive glass.

Watford and Walker also have spoken recently about focusing on their outside shooting, understanding its importance at their position in the modern NBA — especially while theoretically playing alongside some combination of George, Embiid, and Maxey.

» READ MORE: Sixers’ Tyrese Maxey is healthy, and ready to ‘hit the ground running fast’ this season

Worth noting: Walker and Barlow will be limited to 50 games on the Sixers’ active list, unless they are converted to a standard contract at some point during the season.

“Being able to go [to] Jabari and Dominick,” Morey said, “and say, ‘Hey, we really think you’ll have a role even though it’s a two-way,’ I think that’s an edge and we were thrilled they chose to join us.”

The Sixers also could opt to go small with three-guard lineups of some combination of Maxey, Grimes (assuming he returns), Jared McCain, and third-overall draft pick VJ Edgecombe. They also could play Kelly Oubre Jr. or Justin Edwards as an undersized power forward.

Bona and Broome, who both stand 6-foot-10, also are young possibilities at power forward. Broome, who is generally viewed as a more traditional big man, has flashed a willingness to shoot three-pointers during summer league. Bona’s athleticism popped as a rebounder and finisher in unexpected minutes during his rookie season, but he still has work to do skill-wise and as a shooter.

In that same Friday media session, Morey called George one of the Sixers’ “defensive anchors.” And said he is “not worried” about George’s shooting returning to form this season. And he lauded George’s “connective passing.”

How much can George, at age 35, realistically provide, when he has already sustained another injury three months before the season even begins? How quickly will he actually be able to “show what he can do?”

And have the Sixers added enough young frontcourt depth and versatility to better withstand the seemingly inevitable absences?