Philadelphia 76ers star forward Paul George has narrowly avoided a serious injury. After hyperextending his left knee during Monday night’s preseason game against the Atlanta Hawks, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that he has a bone bruise but no structural damage. The team plans to re-evaluate him in a week. The injury occurred early in the second quarter while George was defending Jalen Johnson, who pushed him in the chest, causing George to lose the ball and fall in pain. He was immediately ruled out for the remainder of the game.
Head coach Nick Nurse provided an update, confirming that George is doing well but will not play against the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday. “Everything checks out OK,” Nurse stated. “He’s obviously not going to play tomorrow night, but he wasn’t scheduled to play anyway. A number of guys won’t be playing.” Nurse added that George had been examined again and that additional imaging would be conducted later in the day. “He’s in good spirits,” he noted.
George, a nine-time All-Star, said he recognized the severity of the situation right away and requested to be taken out of the game. “I felt it hyperextend, and immediately I knew I needed to get checked out, but I’m not too concerned about it,” George remarked.
The 76ers are also exercising caution with another key player, superstar center Joel Embiid, who will miss the entire preseason due to ‘left knee management.’ Embiid is not traveling with the team during their preseason road trip and met with doctors earlier in the week. The aim is to ensure his knee is as close to 100 percent as possible for the regular season.
As the regular season approaches, it’s uncertain when George will return. The 76ers are set to open their season on Wednesday, October 23, against the Milwaukee Bucks and their former head coach, Doc Rivers.
