The Philadelphia 76ers seem poised to operate at a handicap right off the bat next season, especially with the team already seeing one of its most important players go down with an injury months before training camp even opens.
Paul George, who sustained a knee injury during a workout which compelled him to undergo a surgical procedure, is looking to bounce back next season after turning in a very forgettable debut campaign for the franchise, but that is already looking like a pretty daring proposition given his current condition.
Heck, the 76ers stand to suffer even more. Losing George to injury is one thing, but having him rot on the stands to start the season is another. The Eastern Conference is believed to be wide open in the upcoming campaign, but Philadelphia has zero reason to enter the 2025-26 season with some degree of hubris on the strength of its raw talent and offseason additions.
The 76ers are poised to lose Paul George at the worst time possible
According to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps during a recent episode of The Hoop Collective, George is looking like he is going to be out for a while due to the same knee injury that prompted surgery.
Of course, that means that the 76ers will be without George to kick off their campaign, which will throw a curveball on their supposed comeback season right off the bat. Part and parcel of what caused the 76ers (and George, individually) to struggle last season was their utter lack of team chemistry and continuity due to all the injuries and the attendant patchwork in the rotation, and George’s absence will be all but a reprisal of that same quagmire.
The forward rotation is also not the team’s strong suit, at least at this juncture. The 76ers tapped on some new reinforcements to fill the void left by Guerschon Yabusele, but they will be primarily relying on Justin Edwards and the heavily flawed Kelly Oubre Jr., whom fans want to be slowly phased out of the rotation.
No matter how you look at it, the timing of George’s injury-related consequences could not have been worse. The 76ers need to start strong next season, but from the looks of it, it is more likely that they will start rather slowly, just like they did last season.
Hopefully, the nine-time All-Star gets back on the hardwood action faster than what pundits believe. Aside from his need to register a huge bounce back season individually, the Philadelphia 76ers, as a collective, will not get to where they want without him in the fold, especially right from the beginning.