Philadelphia is off to a solid 7-4 start, including another win over the Celtics on Tuesday night, with a top-10 offense in the league and Tyrese Maxey looking like an All-NBA player — all of that without Paul George and limited contributions from Joel Embiid, their two veteran stars.
We now have health updates on Embiid and George.
Joel Embiid
He was out Tuesday night due to right knee soreness, the second straight game he missed, which raised concerns. “He just reported a little soreness in his right knee. He’s had some imaging on that this afternoon, and the doctors are here tonight to go over that with him,” 76ers coach Nick Nurse said before Tuesday night’s game.
That imaging found no structural damage, and the center will be day-to-day, reports Shams Charania of ESPN.
Embiid has played in six of the team’s 11 games this season, averaging 19.7 points and 5.5 rebounds per game while playing less than 25 minutes a night. While he has seemed to move a little better each game, he is not playing like the peak Embiid. Knee issues limited Embiid to 19 games last season.
Paul George
The 76ers released an official update on George saying he was in the “final stage” of a return to play but doctors wanted him to strengthen his left quadricep following his surgery. That said, he could return to the court later this week or by next week.
The real question now for George and Embiid is whether they can fit into what is already working with Philadelphia without changing it. Can George play on the wing, do some secondary shot creation, but mostly knock down shots and play some solid defense. Tyrese Maxey has shown this season that he is the future of the franchise, along with V.J. Edgecombe and just returned Jared McCain. The 76ers can’t move on so easily from Embiid’s and George’s $50+ million per season contracts, but they need them to recognize their roles and where this franchise is headed.
