It was radio silent on the Paul George front before news broke that he just underwent another surgery midway through the summer. NBA players have off-season surgery all the time, so why is this one any different? Well, George was ruled out for the remainder of the 2024-25 season back in March for left knee and left adductor injuries.
That was mostly due to tanking but also to give George more time to recover from an injury-plagued season. Now comes word that he just had off-season surgery and will be reevaluated during training camp in September.
The term "reevaluated" is crucial, especially since he likely won't be cleared at that time. It's also intriguing that despite having the surgery in mid-July, he won't be followed up for at least two months, hinting at the severity of the surgery.
The Philadelphia 76ers may be stuck with Paul George
If he misses the start of the regular season, which seems likely at this point, then that will be an awful way for George to kick off his sophomore season with the Sixers. George already got off to a rocky start with Philadelphia last season, averaging just 16.2 points per game, the lowest mark of his career aside from his rookie year.
Even at age 35, his drop-off was steeper than expected, dipping by seven points from his last season with the Clippers. That could have been chalked up to injury, but with off-season surgery and a potential late start to next season for George, it's fair to wonder if he will ever look like he did prior to signing with the Sixers.
If he can't live up to expectations, then his remaining contract, which will pay him $54 million on average over the next four years, suddenly becomes the worst deal in the NBA. That's not to mention that Joel Embiid, who is being paid $62 million over each of the next four seasons, but his status going forward is very much up in the air.
The best-case scenario for the Sixers is that George's recovery isn't as serious as expected and he has a bounce-back season, as does Embiid. If they can, they could be a top-four seed in the injury-ravaged East.
The Sixers might be in for another challenging season if they are unable to. Given their dismal performance last season. Let's hope against that for both Paul and the Sixers.