Paul George Reportedly Expected to Miss 76ers' Opener Amid Knee Injury Rehab
The Philadelphia 76ers are reportedly going to be without Paul George for Wednesday's season opener against the Boston Celtics.
"I've been talking to people in Paul George's camp and I'm told that it is not expected that he will be suiting up for opening night," ESPN's Shams Charania reported Thursday. "… I am told, though, that he is making significant progress after having offseason arthroscopic knee surgery, and a return to debut should be shortly into the regular season."
Injuries have become an unfortunate overarching storyline for the 76ers of late.
Just last season alone, Joel Embiid was limited to 19 games, Tyrese Maxey played 52 games and George appeared in 41 games. The trio that was supposed to lead the team into Eastern Conference contention was rarely on the court together at the same time, and Philadelphia missed the playoffs as a result.
Now there still remain questions about Embiid and George with the 2025-26 season approaching, although the big man doesn't seem to be far away from a return to the court.
Neither does George given Charania's latest report, although the season opener is apparently off the table at this point.
George's resume includes nine All-Star selections, six All-NBA nods and four All-Defensive selections. He was one of the league's best two-way players at his peak and could take over the game as a scorer or shutdown wing defender.
However, it isn't realistic to expect that version of George, 35, given his injury concerns and age heading into the 2025-26 season. If Philadelphia gets a consistent secondary option who can turn the clock for stretches, it would likely be pleased.
He averaged 16.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.8 steals per game last season while shooting 43 percent from the field and 35.8 percent from deep. If he can improve on his efficiency and take advantage of the spacing that comes with playing alongside Embiid and Maxey, it could be an effective follow-up effort for him in 2025-26.
First, though, he has to get healthy.
