Shams: 76ers' Paul George Has Received Injections to Help Him Play Through Injury

Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George has reportedly been battling through a number of injuries throughout the 2024-25 season.

As ESPN's Shams Charania reported Thursday, "The season started for George with a hyperextension and a bone bruise, a really nasty-looking injury at the time. And it's really been an uphill battle for him since that that point. He's had multiple different little nagging injuries that have come up. Most recently he's had tendon damage in his left pinky that he's been fighting. He's been doing everything he can though to be on the court and be available. I'm told it's to the point where he has gotten injections to play and compete over the last four or five games."

The report comes after George scored just two points in Wednesday's 100-96 loss against the Brooklyn Nets, with both Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey sidelined.

The expectation was that George would lead the offense with his two running mates out injured. Instead, he shot just 1-of-7 from the field (0-of-5 from three) and had less field-goal attempts than Quentin Grimes, Kelly Oubre Jr., Justin Edwards and Jared Butler.

The 34-year-old acknowledged he was struggling physically against the Nets.

"Tonight was tough," George told reporters. "The past couple weeks have been tough on my body. This groin (issue) has just been lingering. The time off should definitely help. Tonight, I didn't have (any) burst. It was bothering me, but I tried to be available. But this [All-Star] break is definitely needed."

He also said the injury to his pinky finger continues to impact him on the court.

"It's tough," he said. "The pain pretty much went down, but little things like ball handling, catching it, going left at moments... there were a couple of plays tonight where it bobbled a little bit just because I was essentially playing like this (with a bent finger) all game. So it's frustrating, but it is what it is."

The 2024-25 season has been a disaster for the Sixers, with injuries the main culprit in their struggles. All three of Embiid, George and Maxey have missed significant time this season. Promising rookie Jared McCain was lost for the season after requiring left lateral meniscus surgery. Even the bench reserves have been hit with persistent injury issues.

The result has been a revolving door of a rotation and the inability for the Sixers to establish much continuity. That was always going to be a concern after making a number of changes to the roster in the offseason, including the blockbuster signing of George, but it's been compounded by the team's inability to stay healthy.

So now Philly limps into the All-Star break at 20-34 on the season, 11th in the Eastern Conference. A berth in the Play-In Tournament is still well within grasp, but the Sixers' seven losses in their last eight games has inspired little confidence that they'll turn things around.