Paul George’s inaugural season with the Philadelphia 76ers is over. George, who has not suited up since March 4, took injections in his left adductor muscle and his left knee, the team announced Monday. George is “medically unable to play” for six weeks and he joins former MVP Joel Embiid as Sixers stars who saw their seasons cut short
George has missed the last thirteen days with left-groin soreness. When he was last on the hardwood, he was gutting it out, playing through significant pain with a splint on his left pinky finger. He missed five games after injuring the extensor tendon in that finger on January 25 and, according to ESPN, needed painkillers before each of the five games in which he appeared leading up to the All-Star break.
George hyperextended his left knee in the preseason, delaying his regular-season debut until the Sixers’ sixth game. He hyperextended his left knee again on November 20, his first appearance alongside Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.
George, who turns 35 years old in May, signed a four-year max contract with the 76ers last summer. He played in exactly half the games, 41-82, and his numbers were down across the board, averaging 16.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.8 steals in 32.5 minutes.
Embed from Getty ImagesGeorge made a somewhat surprising announcement late last month that he was taking a hiatus from his podcast, “Podcast P with Paul George,” to focus on his health and turning around the 76ers’ season.
“I haven’t been the healthiest, so it’s just been putting a ton of work towards getting my body as healthy as possible, and to keep focus of obviously being here and trying to turn things around here and the full focus is trying to get this team together,” George said of the decision to pause his podcast.
Embiid only played in 19 of Philadelphia’s games this season before the team announced on February 28 that, after consulting with medical experts about his injured left knee, he would “miss the remainder of the season to focus on treatment and rehabilitation.” Maxey has consistently taken the floor, playing in 52 games, but is currently sidelined with a lower back sprain and a finger sprain; like George, he has not played since March 4.
The Sixers have posted a record of 23-44 on the season and have dropped 17 of their last 21 games. They are tied with the Toronto Raptors for the league’s sixth-worst record. If they finish the season fifth in the “tank standings,” they will have good odds, a 63.9% chance of keeping their top-six-protected first-round pick, however, if they finish sixth, their chances take a nosedive, and they will have a 45.8% chance of keeping it.
