Sixers star Paul George in good spirits after hyperextended knee 'checked out OK'

Keith Pompey, The Philadelphia Inquirer on Oct 15, 2024

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PHILADELPHIA — Nick Nurse didn’t appear worried about 76ers swingman Paul George, who hyperextended his left knee and exited Monday’s road preseason game against the Atlanta Hawks.

“PG was here today,” Nurse said following Tuesday’s practice at the Sixers practice facility. “He got it looked at again. Everything checked out OK. They are going to do some further imaging this afternoon to see if there’s anything else. He’s in good spirits.

“... But it’s OK for now, we will see what happens with the imaging.”

George, like a number of the veterans, didn’t practice Tuesday. However, he was spotted limping to his car Tuesday with a wrap around his knee.

The recovery timeline for a hyperextended knee depends on the severity of the injury and whether surgery is required.

In this case, there’s no damage and surgery is not necessary to correct the knee George awkwardly bent backwards in the second quarter on Monday. A full recovery could take a couple weeks to a month.

Asked if how much time he expects George to miss, Nurse said he won’t have a timeline until the imaging is complete.

“He obviously won’t play tomorrow night,” Nurse said of Wednesday’s preseason game against the Brooklyn Nets at the Wells Fargo Center. “But he never was going to play tomorrow night, anyway. As will a number of our guys. It was always on the schedule that way.

“So we will have to wait and see.”

The Sixers signed the 6-foot-8, 220-pounder to a four-year, $211.5 million this summer to form a big three with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. The 14-year veteran is still one of the better wings in the league and his addition could catapult the Sixers back into the NBA’s elite.

The six-time All-NBA selection and four-time All-Defensive pick averaged 22.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.5 steals for the Los Angeles Clippers last season. He shot a career-best 41.3% on three-pointers.

The Sixers will conclude their preseason slate on Friday against the Orlando Magic at the Kia Center. They’ll open the season on Oct. 23 against the Milwaukee Bucks at The Center. After, they’ll embark on a two-game road trip against the Toronto Raptors on Oct. 25 and Indiana Pacers on Oct. 27.

If George is out for two weeks, the 34-year-old would miss all of those games. However, he told The Philadelphia Inquirer Monday night that he’s “not too concerned” after hyperextending his knee.

“I didn’t realize what happened during the game,” Guerschon Yabusele said. “Then somebody said he wasn’t there. So I started checking on the bench. So I saw ... later on social media. I was shocked and scared, because I didn’t see it at first. I’m hoping nothing is too bad.

“We are waiting to hear [the news] and keep praying for him.”