The Sixers get some great news as an MRI on Paul George’s hyperextended left knee revealed no structural damage. The nine-time All-Star will be re-evaluated in one week.
So, it’s probably now OK to breathe a sigh of relief, Sixers fans.
Word of Paul George’s evaluation on the left knee he injured Monday night in a preseason win over the Hawks has come in. The team said an MRI Tuesday revealed that he suffered a bone bruise. In other words, no torn ligaments or other significant injury. George hyperextended the knee early in the second quarter against Atlanta and did not return to the game.
The team says they will reevaluate George in a week, which feels like a rite of passage for every Sixer to go through.
So, if that evaluation happens exactly one week from today, it will happen the day before opening night. While the team has yet to offer any sort of timetable for when they expect George back on the court, it feels unlikely that he’ll be ready to go next Wednesday, Oct. 23, against Doc Rivers, Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks.
This will certainly be a bummer for anyone eager to finally see this team take the court with their Big Three completely in tact. The team has made it clear that health will be the No. 1 priority throughout the regular season. They already ruled star center Joel Embiid out for the entirety of the preseason, giving his surgically-repaired left knee more time.
Now that any serious injury appears to be avoided, the team will still be cautious to rush him back out there for the start of the season.