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There was a lot of concern among Philadelphia 76ers fans on October 14 after Paul George, their prized free agent acquisition, suffered a hyperextended knee against the Hawks in the NBA preseason.
As seen below, the injury occurred when George tried to poke the ball away from Hawks forward Jalen Johnson on a drive. George would go down after his left leg planted on the court and his knee bent at an odd angle.
One fan called George “washed,” perhaps citing his recent injury history. The veteran forward missed a combined 137 regular-season games during his five-year stint with the Clippers and also sat out the 2023 playoffs with a knee sprain.
Another fan feared that George’s 2024-25 campaign may be in jeopardy.
Paul George Injury Update
After the October 14 preseason game, The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Gina Mizell provided several updates on George’s injury status.
Mizell noted that George sounded optimistic about his recovery in their post-game chat and that he was “not too concerned” about missing extended time. George was expected to get treatment and an MRI later in the week.
“I reach for [the ball], poked it out,” George told The Inquirer. “Went to go take a step to go kind of burst through, and then my leg kind of hyperextended back. I felt that it hyperextended, and immediately, it was, ‘All right, I need to get taken out and look at this.’
“But if you ask me, I’m not too concerned about it.”
However, George was disappointed at the prospect of missing “valuable preseason time” ahead of the regular-season opener against the Bucks on October 23.
Sixers coach Nick Nurse, too, lamented the timing of the injury as the team prepares to ramp up for the start of the 2024-25 season.
George Has Embraced the Pressure
After signing with the Sixers in the 2024 offseason, George acknowledged that the city of Philadelphia, and its rabid fans, expect a lot of its athletes.
As such, he expects to be booed after bad shooting nights or heartbreaking losses, much like his predecessors were. He implored fans to keep their high expectations in tact.
“I think pressure is good,” George said in his introductory presser, via Sports Illustrated. “I think intensity is good, and that’s what you get up for. You want the fans to be fired up. You want them to put that pressure on you to go out, perform, and win games. That’s our job, so I’m looking forward to it.”
“Be as critical and as hard as you can,” George continued. “I think it’s gonna work out for myself and for the team. So I’m looking forward to that. I’m not scared or shying away from that at any point. At any stage. That’s what you look forward to.”
If George’s injury issues were to linger through the 2024-25 season, the Sixers’ title hopes could face a severe jolt. Even the oddsmakers don’t trust their chances, especially after Joel Embiid, the team’s best player, spoke hesitantly about playing back-to-back games for the rest of his career.
Covers.com highlighted that George and Embiid’s recent injury histories make the Sixers a risky bet.
The Sixers are projected to win over 50 games in the 2024-25 season, a year after finishing with a 47-35 record. Embiid’s team also has the fourth-shortest odds (+1000) to win it, per BETMGM, behind the Celtics (+325), Thunder (+675) and Knicks (+700).
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