Paul George’s hyperextended knee is “checking out well,” according to Philadelphia head coach Nick Nurse, but the 76ers are still awaiting imaging to confirm the exact nature of his injury.
Nurse provided the practice update on Tuesday, a day after George hyperextended his knee in a preseason game against the Atlanta Hawks. George’s knee bent awkwardly when he planted in the first half, and he did not return to play in the second half of the game.
The initial post-match diagnosis was hyperextension, a vague descriptor that could encompass a wide range of injury outcomes. After the game, George told the Philadelphia Inquirer that he was “not too worried” about the injury.
“I’m not too worried ahead of what this injury is,” George said. “It will only be a little while.”
On Tuesday, Nurse told reporters that George’s knee was “Fine,” according to a preliminary assessment, but that further imaging on the knee was forthcoming.
“PG was here today,” said Nurse. “Looked at it again. Everything checked out fine. They’re going to do some more imaging this afternoon to see if there’s anything else.”
A nurse added that Paul was in good spirits, but declined to offer a specific prognosis pending further imaging. George will not play in Wednesday’s preseason game against the Brooklyn Nets.
“I have nothing on anything like that until they do that part,” Nurse said when asked about a timeline for George’s return. “Obviously he’s not going to play tomorrow night. But he’s never going to play tomorrow night … We’ll have to wait and see.”
George, a nine-time All-Star, arrived in Philadelphia via a trade from the Los Angeles Clippers in the most significant transaction of the NBA offseason. He signed a four-year, $212 million max contract with the 76ers as part of the deal.
The 76ers acquired George to play alongside fellow All-Stars Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey to compete for an NBA championship. The 76ers made the finals in each of the last seven seasons, but did not advance beyond the second round in any of those years.
With Embiid injured (knee) for most of the second half of last season, the 76ers fell to the number 7 seed. He returned in time for the playoffs, where Philadelphia lost in six games in the first round to the #2 seed New York Knicks.
Embiid is not participating in preseason games. The team offered a vague update on his health on Sunday.
“As part of his left knee management, Joel Embiid was evaluated by doctors on Thursday,” read a team statement. “Embiid is progressing well and will continue to participate in an individualized treatment plan designed to best support his health and well-being for the 2024-25 season.
“He will not play in this week’s pre-season games. Further updates will be provided as appropriate.”
