Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George. Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Latest Paul George injury intel is bad news for 76ers

By Ryan Stano | Last updated Oct 16, 2025 2:33 PM ET

In his first season with the Philadelphia 76ers, Paul George did not live up to the hype. He played in just 41 games, scoring only 16.2 points per game. That was the lowest total since his second year in the NBA back with the Pacers in 2011-12.

A knee injury cut George's season short, something that has become all too familiar for him. Since leaving the Thunder after the 2018-19 season, George has played more than 56 games just once.

This offseason, George announced that he had to have arthroscopic knee surgery to address an injury that he suffered during an offseason workout. Because of that injury, George hasn't played in any preseason game so far this year. After an update from HC Nick Nurse, his availability for the season opener looks dubious at best, giving the 76ers even more bad news.

Nick Nurse doesn't believe 76ers will have Paul George available for start of season

While speaking to reporters, Nurse gave an update on George's progress from his injury. Unfortunately, he indicated that it's unlikely he'll be ready for the season opener against the Celtics on Wednesday. Derek Bodner of PHLY Sports was there to report directly from Nurse.

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. https://t.co/QDaBWUgUjm
— Derek Bodner (@DerekBodnerNBA) October 16, 2025

Not having George available for the first game of the season wouldn't be so bad if the 76ers weren't still unsure about the availability of Joel Embiid. He is also dealing with knee issues, so the chances of him playing the beginning portion of the season are up in the air, too.

Injuries derailed Philly's chances to compete in the East before the All-Star break arrived last season. The East is weaker this season, but having two of the most injury-prone players in the league doesn't bode well for its chances to contend this year, either. Philadelphia needs both George and Embiid to play at least 60 games this season if it wants to have any chance of making a deep playoff run.

Ryan Stano

Ryan Stano has been covering sports since 2017 with a focus on the NFL, NBA, and College Football. His work has been featured on Sports Illustrated, FanSided, and Yahoo. He is an Ohio State graduate with a passion for the Buckeyes, Indianapolis Colts, and Indiana Pacers.

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