The Philadelphia 76ers have received a troubling update on the health status of nine-time All-Star small forward Paul George.
George, 35, is about to embark on the second season of a brutal four-year, $211.6 million contract the 6-foot-8 Fresno State product inked with Philadelphia last season.
Last season, the six-time All-NBA honoree saw his scoring and health fall off a cliff. His scoring average of 16.2 points per game on .430/.358/.814 shooting splits represents his worst since 2011-12. He also averaged a more-impressive 5.3 boards, 4.3 dimes, 1.8 swipes and 0.5 blocks. George missed 41 of Philadelphia's 82 games with various injury issues.
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With his play slipping mightily on both sides of the hardwood while he was on a maximum deal, George suddenly had fans pining for the Tobias Harris days.
Although he had been expected to enter the 2025-26 season healthy and motivated, that's already not the case. George underwent a left knee arthroscopic surgery last month after hurting it during an offseason workout. The fact that he suffered a surgery-requiring ailment doesn't exactly instill confidence that he'll rebound this year.
Per Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints, George's health could linger into October.
Only updates are that George is out for the start of training camp and may not play in the preseason. Too early to tell there.
— Brett Siegel (@BrettSiegelNBA) August 3, 2025
As for Embiid, there is genuine concern about his knee health. Of course word from Philly gets downplayed, but around the league, word is bad. https://t.co/4lLry1FM9A
Siegel reports that George will at least sit out the beginning of training camp this season, and cautions that he could be forced to miss all of the Sixers' preseason this year.
Former MVP center Joel Embiid, Siegel adds, may not be particularly recuperated from his own knee surgery. While the Sixers have been trying to paint a rosy picture, the NBA is less convinced that the 31-year-old vet is through the woods just yet.
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