The Philadelphia 76ers are now in the middle of their annual welcome to the season as it is their turn to conduct their Media Day. Now, fans ought to get some much-needed clarity on multiple fronts, especially with the team engulfed with a ton of questions surrounding their players and their availability to start the campaign.
Before the 76ers head to Abu Dhabi for the league's yearly preseason festivities around the globe, players and coaches will first need to quench the fans' thirst for information as to what they can expect from them in the 2025-26 circuit. But unfortunately for them, it seems like things are already off to a grim start.
Paul George hit the panel quickly, and finally addressed his playing status after the untimely knee injury he suffered not too long ago. While he was seen actively participating in team workouts according to some practice images released by the social media team, he was definitely considered a huge question mark.
And coming from George himself, it seems like those prognoses are indeed correct. When asked about the progress on his recovery from injury, he bared that he has not yet been cleared for full contact, meaning that he will not be an active participant in training camp, at least to kick things off.
Paul George casts early shadow on the 76ers after new injury update
Of all people, George is the one who especially requires a lot of on-court familiarization with the team. Last season, he never really had the opportunity to learn his teammates' tendencies and acclimate himself to the playbook, resulting in him turning in his worst season since his rookie year in the league.
George missing time to begin the preseason –– which most definitely has a chance of spilling into the year –– becomes all the more ominous. Philadelphia needs him at full capacity given their shallow depth at the forward positions, and not getting to test things out with him on board will be tricky for the coaching staff.
He will most likely be forced to start the season cold just like he did last year, and we all know how that turned out, right?
Hopefully, the nine-time All-Star gets his knee right before the regular season begins. But for now, things are definitely not off to a good start for the 76ers as they finally flip the switch to on.