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The Philadelphia 76ers’ newest star suffered an injury in a preseason matchup against the Atlanta Hawks.
Per Gina Mizell of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Paul George sustained a left knee hyperextension during the second quarter of the game and did not return. The injury occurred when he was on defense and stepped back awkwardly while being backed down.
In his only other preseason appearance last week, George had 23 points, six rebounds and two assists in a loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. He had eight points in 12 minutes before exiting Monday’s matchup.
With just two preseason games remaining, the 76ers could opt to keep the 34-year-old off the court until the regular season to ensure he has plenty of time to recover from Monday’s injury. Philadelphia has already ruled star center Joel Embiid out for the rest of preseason due to left knee injury management, per ESPN’s Tim Bontemps.
Over the offseason, George signed a four-year, $212 million deal with the Sixers, ending a five-year run with the Los Angeles Clippers. Much of the last few seasons have seen him struggle with injuries as he played 54 games in the 2020-21 season, 31 games in the 2021-22 season and 56 games in the 2022-23 season.
Luckily for the nine-time All-Star, he managed to stay injury-free last year, playing 74 games and putting up 22.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game. The 76ers will hope his injury on Monday won’t be long-term and he can be back on the court to start the regular season.
Philadelphia is coming off a disappointing 47-35 season that ended in the first round of the playoffs at the hands of the New York Knicks.
The 76ers made a splash this offseason by adding George alongside Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, and they’re looking to finally get over the hump and compete for a championship.