Paul George underwent an arthroscopic procedure on his left knee on Monday, per ESPN’s Shams Charania.
There has been no mention of exactly how the injury occured, but only that it was during a recent workout. Monday’s surgery was successful and George will be re-evaluated before training camp begins.
Outside of the 2014-15 season in which George only played six games due to suffering a compound leg fracture while playing for Team USA, George played an average of 78 games from 2012 to 2018.
Then the wheels fell off.
From 2019 to the present, George has had a bevy of injuries, playing over 50 games just three times in six seasons. He did start 74 games two seasons ago, but that looks to be the outlier.
Now at age 35, it’s going to be more difficult to recover and grind through NBA seasons. And it’s a shame because George was one of the best two-way players in the game.
George has three years left on his contract at an average of $52.9 million a year. The third year is a player option.
The 76ers are a legitimate contender when healthy. Tyrese Maxey is one of the best guards in the league. If Philadelphia can re-sign Quentin Grimes, he showed that he can get buckets while Jared McCain was no ordinary rookie, playing like a seasoned vet before succumbing to injury.
Rookie V.J. Edgecombe brings athleticism and defensive tenacity. While playing alongside NBA players for the Bahamas, Edgecombe was often the best player on the court. Joel Embiid is one of the best centers in the league, but he has also dealt with a plethora of injuries.
If George misses significant time, Justin Edwards would likely soak up most of the minutes at power forward. Last season, he averaged 10.1 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.6 treys in 26.3 minutes. Edwards logged 79% of his minutes at power forward.
DraftKings Sportsbook has Philadelphia at +450 to win the Atlantic Division. New York is the heavy favorite at -215. Philadelphia is +1000 to win the Eastern Conference.
