Paul George is not expected to play in the Philadelphia 76ers‘ season opener Wednesday against the Boston Celtics and still “has some checkmarks he has to hit” in his return to play following the left arthroscopic knee surgery he underwent in the offseason, ESPN’s Shams Charania reports.
The nine-time All Star’s return could come in the not-too-distant future — “shortly into the regular season,” per Charania — and he participated in some five-on-five action in Thursday’s practice.
“We are trying to get him through the thresholds of five-on-zero to some smaller-numbered live action yesterday, and then he jumped into a bit of five-on-five live today,” coach Nick Nurse said Thursday. “Just trying to keep moving him in the right direction.”
When asked if there’s optimism about George’s potential availability for the season opener, Nurse seemed skeptical.
“Nah,” Nurse said. “Yesterday was his first day live — I mean small-number live — and today was a short amount of five-on-five, so we have to just keep waiting.”
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George, 35, had the surgery in mid-July after suffering an injury during a workout. It came just over a year after he agreed to a four-year, $212 million deal with Philadelphia the previous offseason.
It was a brutally disappointing 2024-25 for both George and the 76ers. George struggled with several injuries, appeared in just 41 games and averaged just 16.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists. The 16.2 points per game were his lowest since 2014-15, in which he only appeared in eight games. The 76ers, who were also without Joel Embiid (limited to just 19 games) and Tyrese Maxey (52 games) for significant stretches, shut George down for the season in May.
The 76ers, given Embiid and George’s ages and injury histories, are one of the most difficult teams to project in 2025-26, even in what appears to be a wide-open Eastern Conference. When healthy, Philadelphia has plenty of star power and a solid supporting cast with Quentin Grimes, Jared McCain, Kelly Oubre Jr. and VJ Edgecombe, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. Health, however, has been fleeting, and the team will hope George’s likely absence to begin the year isn’t a harbinger of injuries to come.
The 76ers will close out their preseason schedule against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday. While George won’t play, Nurse said there’s a chance Embiid could suit up in the preseason finale as he ramps up for the regular season.
