The Philadelphia 76ers have produced an overwhelming amount of injury news during the 2024 NBA preseason. Jared McCain was hospitalized with a lung contusion sustained during a game against the Brooklyn Nets, Joel Embiid clarified that he won't be appearing in both legs of future back-to-backs, and Paul George nearly lost his season before it could begin.
With the return of Podcast P for the 2024-25 campaign, George has taken to the podcasting platform to provide an encouraging update on the status of his injury.
For those unfamiliar, George suffered a scary non-contact injury during Philadelphia's preseason encounter with the Atlanta Hawks. In the moment, it appeared as though his knee had been so thoroughly damaged that he could miss the entire 2024-25 season.
Thankfully, it was later revealed that the hyperextension wasn't quite as severe as it looked, creating a sense of optimism that Philadelphia had avoided disaster.
George is still nursing an injury, of course, but the sigh of relief that he and the 76ers were able to breathe was heard around the NBA. The team's new Big Three remains intact, although questions have persisted about how big of an impact the hyperextension could have on his health and availability.
During the 2024-25 season premiere of Podcast P with Paul George, the nine-time All-Star opened up about the injury, how it happened, and what his recovery process consists of.
“It was crazy because it was a normal play that I’ve made so many times of, guy dribbling across, I reach, poke the ball free and I go either get the steal or I’m off running for the fast break. That was what was playing out in my head after I poked it loose. And then, I don’t know, my leg just went back and I was about to take off, and I guess my leg just kind of got stuck, bro. My leg literally just got stuck. I don’t know how else to call it. My knee locked up. My leg locked up. And when I went to push off, all my momentum is going forward, and my leg, it just caused it to go inwards.”
George continued:
“Immediately, I was like, ‘Ah, this don’t feel right. This don’t feel right.’ It was similar in terms of the bone on bone contact that I had in LA when I had that injury. It was similar to that, but not as severe. So I’m not too concerned. I was able to come back from that fine, totally healthy. So I’m not too concerned with it. But it’s more so just letting God do its healing, letting the fluid and stuff get out of there. I’m not too concerned, I’ll be back.”
When asked if he’d need to wear a brace, George clarified that he avoided the damage he sustained when he suffered a similar injury while playing for the LA Clippers, and has thus avoided the need to wear protective gear.
More importantly, George feels as though his knee is stable.
“When it happened in LA, I had to wear a brace. I felt like my leg or my knee was unstable. This one, I feel totally fine. I feel like my knee is stable. Everything is stable. It’s more so just bone on bone. It’s tough to heal, been on bone action.”
It was a scary experience for George and the 76ers, but the good news is that he seems to have avoided any ligament damage that could linger throughout the 2024-25 campaign.
Paul George feels his knee is stable, but still needs time to heal
George, 34, is entering his 15th NBA season, which is a feat in and of itself. The fact that he's still regarded as one of the best players in the Association is a testament to not only his longevity, but his resilience given the fact that he's endured a relatively long list of injuries during his career.
Thankfully, George avoided catastrophe with his latest injury and appears to be on track to play the 2024-25 regular season in good health.
It's a vital development considering how heavily the 76ers have invested in George being able to help the team take the next step toward contending. He signed a four-year deal worth just under $211.6 million during the 2024 offseason and has been heralded by many as the missing piece.
Philadelphia has pursued numerous stars over the years to help it win its first championship since 1983, but George represents a shift in front office philosophy.
The 76ers have gone all-in on ball-dominant point guards to complement Joel Embiid and even Tyrese Maxey. George represents the proverbial middle ground between the two shining examples of those flawed exploits: James Harden and Ben Simmons.
George has the well-rounded offensive skill set that the team was hoping to utilize when it acquired Harden, as well as the elite defensive acumen that Simmons brought to the table.
On paper, the trio of Embiid, George, and Maxey appears to be a symbiotic union from which coherent and consistent two-way value can be extracted. The first major step, however, will be avoiding the injuries that have long plagued the 76ers.
The George update certainly suggests that Philadelphia is headed in the right direction in that regard, and a recent report has revealed that precautions will be taken moving forward.
Tim Bontemps of ESPN recently reported that the 76ers plan to limit the number of back-to-backs that Embiid and George appear in during the regular season. That could result in their star duo missing as many as 13 games in 2024-25.
The injury scare that George endured certainly didn't calm the nerves in Philadelphia, and instead is likely to have strengthed the franchise's resolve on the precautionary front.
Regardless of how many back-to-backs Embiid and George appear in, what's clear is that the 76ers are aiming for the stars. The team hasn't reached the Eastern Conference Finals since 2001, while George has competed in the NBA Semifinals three times since 2012.
That includes two trips as the No. 1 scoring option on the Indiana Pacers and a third during which he led the LA Clippers to the first Conference Finals appearance in franchise history.
It's a promising track record that Nick Nurse and the 76ers will take every precaution to help him build upon during his debut season in Philadelphia.