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Philadelphia Paul George is dealing with a bone bruise in his left knee, avoiding any structural damage after hyperextending his knee during Monday’s preseason game against the Atlanta Hawks.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, George will be re-evaluated next Tuesday, putting his status for the team’s regular-season opener against the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday, Oct. 23:
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.@ShamsCharania with the latest on Paul George’s bone bruise injury and his status for the 76ers’ season opener against the Bucks:
“There is a level of uncertainty going into that game for Paul George.” pic.twitter.com/t8Voip82dI
Coming into the 2024-25 season, there was plenty of hype surrounding the 76ers after the offseason acquisition of George, which paired him with Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and a retooled Philly roster. It’s arguably the most talent, and roster balance, the team has had in the Embiid era.
The one caveat, however, was a big one—could players like Embiid and George, given their injury history, stay healthy?
So far, that concern remains ever present. Alongside George’s knee, Embiid is also out for the remainder of the preseason due to left knee management. The superstar center has already acknowledged that he’ll need to take some drastic steps to reach the playoffs healthy, something that has been a struggle for him throughout his career.
“If I had to guess,” he told ESPN’s Tim Bontemps earlier this week, “I would probably never play back-to-backs the rest of my career.”
“We’re going to be smart about it,” Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey added. “Part of being smart about it is having both Paul and Joel probably not play many back to backs, if any.”
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“That’s what makes Tyrese Maxey the most important player on that roster for the regular season.” 😳
—@espn_macmahon on Paul George’s injury, Joel Embiid, and the Sixers 👀 pic.twitter.com/bYsGG0hvII
A healthy trio of Embiid, George and Maxey seemingly complement one another perfectly. Embiid’s gravity in the paint creates room for both George and Maxey on the perimeter, with both capable of running pick-and-roll actions with Embiid. George also doesn’t need to be ball-dominant to be effective as an excellent catch-and-shoot contributor and two-way player, but also has the ability to create his own offense late in games when defensives tighten.
It’s all a moot point, however, if Embiid and George can’t avoid the injury bug. So far, not so great in that regard.
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During Monday's game against the Atlanta Hawks, things took a turn for the worst for the Philadelphia 76ers. Midway through the game, Paul George hyperextended