Just as things were looking up for the Philadelphia 76ers, their past demons came back to haunt them. According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, Paul George completed a successful arthroscopic procedure on his left knee today after sustaining an injury during a recent workout. A source told Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports that the surgery was essentially a clean-up and it didn’t involve any major ligaments. He’s set to begin a rehabilitation plan and will be re-evaluated before the start of training camp.
This is without a doubt a red flag
Earlier today, I wrote about how Philadelphia couldn’t be labeled as legitimate title contenders until we had more certainty on its health. Needless to say, we’re not off to a good start. It’s also worth mentioning that George injured the same knee that he hyper-extended twice last season. Even if his latest injury is simply a bump in the road, you have to wonder how much mileage he has left in that knee.
The disturbing part is that George entered last season fully healthy, only to suffer multiple nagging injuries that limited his production. Whether it was health, regression, or both, he wasn’t able to be the second/third option that Philadelphia desperately needed to keep its season afloat. Like Embiid, George was shut down shortly after the All-Star break, and up until now, it seemed as if he was poised to have a bounce-back campaign.
While that’s still a possibility, the fact that George sustained an injury that required a procedure in an offseason workout is alarming. He turned 35 years old in May and is entering the second term of his four-year/$212 million contract, which will pay him $51.7 million in 2025-26. If George keeps picking up injuries of this fashion at this continued rate, his contract is on track to become one of, if not the worst deal in the NBA for the next few years.
Give George all the time he needs
Again, this entire situation could be put in the rearview mirror come October, but it’s also equally as possible that he’ll keep acquiring these nagging injuries due to age along with the wear and tear of this past year. Regardless, if the 76ers learned anything from last season, it’s to not let players prematurely return from an injury no matter the circumstance. They need to give George all the time he needs to return with a clean bill of health, even if that could mean missing time early in the season.
I want to end this article by nominating Dr. Jonathan Glashow to ring the bell for Philadelphia’s home-opening game since he’s the one who gave the same operation to George and Embiid within the span of four months.