Philadelphia 76ers superstar Paul George provided a significant update on the injury he sustained during the team’s 104-89 preseason win over the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena on Monday. After playing 12 minutes, George suffered a left knee hyperextension and left the game, heading to the locker room and not returning to the bench.
76ers beat reporter Gina Mizell caught up with George after the game, and the nine-time NBA All-Star discussed the state of his injury setback.
“Chatted with Paul George in the postgame locker room. He had a sleeve on the knee but was walking and said he is “not too concerned” about the prognosis. Will get treatment on it tonight and proceed from there,” Mizell said in a tweet.
Philadelphia coach Nick Nurse addressed Paul George’s injury, expressing regret that the former LA Clippers superstar may not have the opportunity to fully integrate into the team’s schemes if he’s sidelined for the remainder of the preseason.
However, Nurse remains optimistic that George will return to action soon without missing significant time.
“Certainly trying to work him into things, and he wants to work into things too. So this doesn’t give him a chance to do that,” Nurse said, as quoted by Mizell. “Hopefully it’ll be OK so he’s back with us right away.”
The Philadelphia 76ers have two preseason games left before they tip off their regular season. The team is set to face the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday and the Orlando Magic on Friday.
76ers fans will be hoping that George overcomes his recent injury setback and be available to play for the start of the regular season.
Paul George in preseason
The Philadelphia 76ers acquired Paul George this past offseason to strengthen their roster around Joel Embiid and compete for an NBA championship. The veteran forward made a strong debut in the Sixers’ first preseason game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, scoring 23 points in 26 minutes, while also adding six rebounds and two assists.
George sat out the following game against the Boston Celtics but returned to the starting lineup for Monday’s game against the Atlanta Hawks. Before leaving the game due to a left knee injury, the former Most Improved Player contributed eight points on 3-of-5 shooting, including a perfect 1-of-1 from beyond the arc.
