Philadelphia 76ers Star Paul George Could Be Unavailable For Opening Night

Here’s the thing that’ll make you want to throw your cheesesteak at the wall—George just started playing 5-on-5 basketball. We are talking about a guy who had arthroscopic knee surgery back in July, and he’s only now getting his feet wet in live practice situations.

Derek Bodner of PHLY Sports broke it down perfectly: “Nick Nurse said that Paul George only played a little bit of 5-on-5 today, and indicated that George playing in the preseason finale, or even the regular season opener next week, was unlikely given he just started playing in live portions of practice yesterday.”

Translation? The 35-year-old forward is moving slower than molasses in January, and the Sixers aren’t about to rush him back just to watch him hobble around TD Garden like a wounded gazelle.

The Injury Bug Strikes Again

Let’s be brutally honest here—this isn’t exactly shocking news for a guy who’s become more familiar with the trainer’s room than the starting lineup. Last season, George managed to play in just 41 games, averaging 16.2 points while dealing with more ailments than a hypochondriac’s WebMD search history.

What This Means For Philadelphia’s Championship Dreams

Now here’s where things get interesting, and not in a good way. The Sixers’ “Big Three” of George, Joel Embiid, and Tyrese Maxey managed to play a combined total of 112 games last season. For those keeping track at home, that’s fewer combined games than most single players manage in a full season.

With George likely out and Embiid’s own injury history reading like a medical textbook, the Sixers might be leaning heavily on players like Kelly Oubre Jr., Jared McCain, and Justin Edwards early in the season. Not exactly the star power you’d expect from a team with championship aspirations.

The Silver Lining (If You Squint Really Hard)

Look, I’m not trying to be the bearer of all doom and gloom here. George is at least progressing—he’s participating in practice and getting some 5-on-5 work under his belt. That is more than we could say a few weeks ago, when he was probably watching Netflix from his couch like the rest of us.

The organization is being smart about this, taking the long view rather than rushing their expensive investment back onto the court. Sometimes patience pays off, even if it means starting the season with question marks instead of exclamation points.

The Bigger Picture

What really stings about this whole situation is the timing. The Sixers are coming off a disastrous 2024-25 season where they finished 13th in the Eastern Conference—a performance that had fans questioning everything from the front office to the hot dog vendors.

This was supposed to be the year everything clicked. George was supposed to be the missing piece, the veteran presence who could help carry this team back to relevance. Instead, here we are again, talking about injury timelines and backup plans.

Moving Forward

So what now? Well, the Sixers will have to lean on the players they have available and hope George can return sooner rather than later. The good news is that we’re talking about the beginning of the season, not the playoffs. There’s plenty of time for this team to find its rhythm once everyone’s healthy.

The bad news? In the Eastern Conference, every game matters, and falling behind early could make the road to the playoffs that much steeper. For now, all 76ers fans can do is wait, hope, and maybe keep those antacids handy.