The long-anticipated Philadelphia 76ers debut for Paul George will happen on Monday night.
After acquiring the nine-time All-Star in free agency in the off-season, Philly fans will will finally get to see him play for the first time when the 76ers visit the Phoenix Suns.
George suffered a bone bruise on his left knee in a pre-season contest on Oct. 14 and had been out of the lineup since, missing the 76ers first five games as a result.
“I think he feels good,” 76ers coach Nick Nurse said before the game.
When asked about any restrictions on George’s playing time, Nurse said, “I think it’s more of the conditioning aspect, keeping his stints a little shorter. We’ll see how he is at halftime.”
The California native left his hometown Los Angeles Clippers after five seasons with the team, opting to sign with Philadelphia on a four-year, $212 million deal.
George holds career averages of 20.8 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists on 38.5 per cent shooting from beyond the arc. The 2023-24 campaign was the six-time All-NBA selection's healthiest in quite some time as he put up 22.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game through 74 appearances — his most games played since 2018-19.
The 34-year-old's debut will be a big boost for a 76ers (1-4) squad that is still awaiting the return of franchise star Joel Embiid and has struggled to start the season.
The 2022-23 MVP has been recovering from a knee injury from training camp and has no clear timeline for return as of yet. Embiid has been a full participant in practice throughout the week, however, taking part in 5-on-5 live competition.
Meanwhile, some media and fans have been critical of the seven-time All-Star's ability to stay healthy, prompting a variety of responses in the previous couple of weeks. Embiid and the 76ers have made comments about his status recently, the latter resulting in the team being fined $100,000 by the NBA for "comments inconsistent" with the player's health status and in violation of the league's rules on player participation.
Nurse said, “(Embiid) is doing a little bit better, making steps in the right direction.” The coach added that the 7-foot center will be re-evaluated Tuesday.
The NBA is also investigating an altercation between Embiid and a media member on Saturday that reportedly involved the reported being shoved by the seven-footer. No consequences have been levied as of yet and it's unclear how the incident might impact his impending season debut.
George and Philadelphia visit Phoenix on Monday hoping to snap a two-game losing skid.
-- with files from Associated Press
COMMENTS
When submitting content, please abide by our submission guidelines, and avoid posting profanity, personal attacks or harassment. Should you violate our submissions guidelines, we reserve the right to remove your comments and block your account. Sportsnet reserves the right to close a story’s comment section at any time.