The Philadelphia 76ers’ 2024-25 season is off to a rocky start, with recent injuries to key stars Paul George and Joel Embiid casting doubt on their championship aspirations, Afrosport reports.
Just days after it was confirmed that Embiid would miss the entire preseason, George has also suffered a setback as the 76ers’ free agent pick up sustained a hyperextension in his left knee during the second quarter of a preseason game against the Atlanta Hawks on Monday.
The nine-time NBA All-Star picked up the injury while defending Hawks’ forward-center Jalen Johnson in the second quarter of the game.
George, who downplayed the extent of the injury afterwards, scored eight points in 12 minutes as Philadelphia recorded a 104-89 win at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta.
“I felt that it hyperextended, and immediately it was, all right, I need to get taken out and (looked at), but if you ask me, I’m not too concerned about it,” George told The Philadelphia Inquirer.
good game, fellas! @cryptocom pic.twitter.com/6vtFXvyfOL
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) October 15, 2024
Sixers coach Nick Nurse was unsure of the extent of George’s injury but said the 34-year-old would examined properly on Tuesday.
“You never want anything to happen to anybody,” Nurse said. “Certainly, just kind of trying to work him into things. He wants to work into things, too. This doesn’t give us a chance to do that. Hopefully it’ll be OK so he’s back with us right away.”
George joined the 76ers in free agency on a lucrative four-year deal worth $212 million. The 14-year general is on his fourth team, having spent seven years with the Indiana Pacers, two with the Oklahoma City Thunder and the last five on the Los Angeles Clippers roster.
