Feb 24, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George before a game against the Chicago Bulls at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

NBA Insider Suggests Paul George's Return Could Happen Soon

Originally posted on Philadelphia 76ers on SI
By Declan Harris | Last updated Oct 29, 2025 5:05 PM ET

On Tuesday night, the Philadelphia 76ers came back from a 19-point deficit to take down the Washington Wizards, which would end up being their fourth win in a row.

While the main storyline surrounding the match was regarding the comeback, they regained a valuable player against the Wizards, as Trendon Watford made his debut for the Sixers after dealing with a hamstring setback during one of Philadelphia’s first practices of the preseason.

The 24-year-old was one of four key players to miss some time in the opening week of the season, as Jared McCain, Dominick Barlow, and Paul George have all seen time on the team’s injury report due to their various injuries.

While George hasn’t seen any time on the court so far for Philadelphia, as he continues to recover from a procedure on his left knee over the summer, that could change in the coming weeks. According to Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer, there is a belief surrounding the team that the nine-time All-Star could make his return to action in the coming week or so.

“In Philadelphia, there definitely is some positive momentum to my understanding about Paul George making his season debut sometime in the next week plus, sometime in early November,” Fischer explained on Wednesday afternoon.

What does the return of Paul George mean for the Sixers?

The simple answer would be that George will add some quality depth to a Philadelphia back court that has been highly productive in their opening four games of the season. In his first season in the City of Brotherly Love, George would average 16.2 points on 43 percent shooting from the field, as he'd struggle with various injuries throughout his 41-game season.

As he'll be adding some depth to the Sixers' lineup, his return could take some of the heavy load that has been given to Tyrese Maxey, who has played for more than 40 minutes in all four games, which sees the former All-Star averaging 37.5 points and 8.3 assists per game.

It will certainly give Nurse some things to consider, given how the Sixers’ rookie VJ Edgecombe has been performing in the starting lineup, one of the presumed spots that George would occupy when healthy, as he is putting up 22.3 points per game.

Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

This whole dilemma of picking players to fit into the starting lineup was something that was brought up time and time again in the offseason, given the return of Quentin Grimes and Kelly Oubre Jr, as well as the Sixers’ selection of the aforementioned Edgecombe.

This article first appeared on Philadelphia 76ers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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