Paul George’s hyperextended knee is “fine” according to Philadelphia head coach Nick Nurse, but the 76ers are still waiting on imaging to confirm the exact nature of his injury.
Nurse provided the training 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 match.
The initial post-match diagnosis was hyperextension, a vague description that could encompass a wide range of injury outcomes. After the game, George told the Philadelphia Inquirer that he’s “not too concerned” about the injury.
“I’m not too worried about what this injury is,” George said. “It will only be a short time.”
On Tuesday, Nurse told reporters that George’s knee is “OK” according to preliminary evaluation, but further imaging of the knee was coming in.
“PG was here today,” the nurse said. ‘I looked at it again. Everything has been found to be in order. This afternoon they are going to do some further investigation to see if there is anything else.’
The nurse added that Paul was in good spirits, but declined to give a specific prognosis pending further imaging. George will not play in Wednesday’s preseason game against the Brooklyn Nets.
“I don’t have anything on that until they do that part,” Nurse said when asked about a timeline for George’s return. “Obviously he won’t play tomorrow night. But he would never play tomorrow night anyway. … We’ll have to wait and see.”
George, a nine-time All-Star, arrived in Philadelphia via trade from the Los Angeles Clippers in the most important transaction of the NBA offseason. He signed a four-year, maximum $212 million contract with the 76ers as part of the deal.
The 76ers acquired George to play alongside fellow All-Stars Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey in an effort to compete for an NBA championship. The 76ers made the playoffs in each of the past seven seasons, but never advanced past 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 No. 7 seed. He returned in time for the playoffs, where Philadelphia lost to the No. 2 seed New York Knicks in six games in the first round.
Embiid will not participate in preseason games. The team offered a vague update on his health condition on Sunday.
“As part of his left knee treatment, Joel Embiid was evaluated by physicians on Thursday,” a team statement read. “Embiid is making good progress and will continue to participate in an individualized treatment plan designed to best support his health and wellbeing for the 2024-2025 season.
“He will not play in this week’s preseason games. Further updates will be provided as necessary.”
