The Philadelphia 76ers have shared an update on the potential return of Paul George from offseason surgery on his left knee. George is in his second season with the Sixers, but he’s been unable to stay healthy.
According to Derek Bodner of PHLY Sports, coach Nick Nurse said that George was scheduled to see his surgeon this weekend. If he gets cleared by his doctor, the team will likely give him the green light to possibly make his season debut.
“No update on Paul George’s availability yet, Nick Nurse says. George is meeting with his surgeon this weekend as a potential “final hurdle” to clear his return to the court,” Bodner tweeted.
George underwent surgery at the NYU–Langone Sports Medicine Orthopedic Center, and it was performed by Dr. Jonathan L. Glashow, as reported by the Associated Press back in July. He already entered the rehab process of his recovery and was re-evaluated before the start of training camp.
NBA insider Jake Fischer reported a couple of weeks ago that George’s return would be early November. However, it’s the second week of the month already, and PG has yet to get cleared, though he has been a full participant in practices.
Sixers Doing Alright Without Paul George
The Philadelphia 76ers are off to a good start to the season at 6-4, though they were scorching in the first week at 4-0 before cooling down. Tyrese Maxey has been scoring in bunches, rookie VJ Edgecombe looks like a star and Quentin Grimes could be a Sixth Man of the Year candidate.
Joel Embiid has been relatively healthy, but he’s under a minutes restriction. Once Paul George gets cleared to return, he’ll likely be playing limited minutes at the start. Second-year guard Jared McCain saw just nine minutes of game time in his season debut on October 9 against the Detroit Pistons.
Greg Frank of the Liberty Ballers expects George to play better than a role player and earn his monstrous contract with the Sixers.
“The only way anyone should be happy with George taking on a lesser role this season is if he’s willing to give about 65% of his salary for the season back to the Sixers. When that doesn’t happen, just realize that you’re willfully accepting George becoming one of the most expensive role players in NBA history,” Frank wrote.
Nurse’s Expectations for George
Speaking to reporters on Friday, coach Nick Nurse revealed his expectations for Paul George once he’s been cleared to play. Nurse wants George to play well on defense and use his experience to get back on his flow while helping the team win.
“He’s going to help us. To me, he looks really good on defense. He’s just got such an instinctual feel for that end of the floor. And he’s got the size at 6-9, and there’s deflections and all that stuff,” Nurse said, via NBC Sports Philadelphia.
George is in the second season of a four-year, $212 million contract he signed last year. He played in just 41 games last season, averaging 16.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.8 steals.
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