PHILADELPHIA — Whatever the preseason expectations were on Paul George in Philadelphia, the in-season results have been clear. Offense is the last aspect of the nine-time All-Star’s game to acclimate to Philly, with the returns from the first 24 games well below George’s outstanding career levels. The reason, George said after Monday’s 109-99 loss to the Phoenix Suns, isn’t attributable to health. It’s a facet of his game that both George and coach Nick Nurse are sure will come around eventually. “We’re having those conversations of how to get good looks, quality looks,” George said. “And I’ve just got to read what’s going on out there. Tonight, they (the Suns) did a great job of just kind of loading up. It seemed like all my drives, all my catch-and-shoot situations, it was highly loaded and playing in crowds. I’ve got to do a better job of just letting the game come to me.” That process will have to wait until at least Friday, with the 76ers Tuesday listing George as out Wednesday against the Washington Wizards with tightness in his groin. He’ll join Joel Embiid in street clothes, with the center to miss his second straight game with a foot sprain that Nurse maintained is a day-to-day concern. Kyle Lowry (hip) is also out, while Andre Drummond (toe sprain) is questionable. That puts on hold the debate over what is behind George’s sluggish adaptation to life in Philadelphia. He’s averaging 16.2 points per game, the lowest total since he was a second-year pro with the Pacers in 2011-12. His average has plummeted from 22.6 ppg last year with the Clippers and his high-water mark of 28.0 in his MVP candidate season in 2018-19 with the Thunder. He’s taking fewer shots per game (14.1 attempts, down from 16.7 per last year), and his shooting percentages are way down, 41.4 percent from the field (last year: 47.1) and 33.5 from 3-point range (last year: 41.3). His defense remains top-tier, he’s an excellent rebounder and his assists have ticked up to 4.6 per game from 3.5 last year (though still less than a three-year stretch of averaging more than 5 per game). But the offensive punch is not there. There are mitigating factors, though neither George nor Nurse was leaning heavily on them. George injured his knee in preseason, then reinjured it early in the season, even as the 76ers pledged to monitor the 34-year-old’s minutes this season. The hamstring is likely an outgrowth of the knee issue. Monday was his 24th game out of 34 the Sixers have played. But George didn’t want to blame the injury for hampering him. “I’m trying to work through it,” he said. “But if I’m out on the floor, I’m fine.” An undeniable aspect is the lack of time on court with Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. George and Embiid have played together in all 13 of the center’s games. Maxey and George have 19 games together, the Sixers 11-8 in them. Continuity – for a team that has only four rotation regulars that were here last season, one the oft-injured Embiid – remains scarce. “If the big fella needs tonight or if he’s dealing with a nagging injury, we want him to rest as much as possible and be ready when we really need him,” George said. “So going into it, I already knew there will be moments where the big fella is not out there. And this locker room knows that we’ve got to play better, we’ve got to play together and we’ve got to fill the void of the big fella not being out there. There’s no issue on my end with certainty.” Nurse has preached patience. George has experience dealing with a similar situation in Los Angeles, where he was teammates with the frequently unavailable Kawhi Leonard. Maxey, as is the point guard’s default, framed it in terms of what he can do to help get George going on any given night. “He’s trying to find his way to play with Joel, without Joel. That’s difficult,” Maxey said. “I understand where that’s coming from. So he’s getting good looks. He’s had some good games. He’s had some breakout games. He does so many other things well for us; he guards, rebounds, he’s in the gaps, he talks. So I think the shooting will come.” It’s been uneven, though. No better illustration was seen than a stretch in mid-December, when George hit Charlotte for 33 points, then shot 2-for-12 for five points against them in a back-to-back. A 30-point outing against Sacramento was great. Then he shot 5-for-18 against the Suns Monday. George isn’t alone in struggling. Despite the strong patch through the holidays, the 76ers remain 25th in the league in both field goal percentage and 3-point percentage. It doomed them Monday and remains a constant point of emphasis to improve. “I know I have a mentality to try to get going and trying to be aggressive, but some of the shots I’m taking are probably not the best looks within the offense,” George said. “And that just resulted in me kind of pressing a little bit.”