76ers star Paul George avoids serious injury in preseason game
Over the summer, the Philadelphia 76ers wanted to capitalize on potentially being in a championship window, with the team armed with a lot of cap space and determined to bring in another star to play alongside Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.
As a result, the team targeted veteran two-way forward Paul George with the majority of the cap space available. Although many believed that George would re-sign with his hometown Los Angeles Clippers and give it another shot with Kawhi Leonard, the 34-year-old decided it was time for a change of scenery and possibly a better chance of contending for a title in Philadelphia.
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Even though George is one of the best two-way players in the game when healthy, the veteran has struggled to stay healthy over the years, which is an obvious concern for the 76ers, especially with Embiid’s shaky status in that area. That said, when George hyperextended his knee in a meaningless preseason game this week, 76ers fans held their breath anticipating bad news.
Fortunately, it appears that George was able to avoid serious injury, according to ESPN.
76ers forward Paul George has a bone bruise in his left knee but did not suffer any structural damage and will be reevaluated in approximately one week, the team announced Tuesday.
Head coach Nick Nurse set the record straight, claiming everything is okay with George moving forward.
“Everything checks out OK,” coach Nick Nurse told reporters Tuesday at the team’s New Jersey complex.
George talked about the injury and how he knew it was a hyperextension of his knee immediately but admitted that he was not concerned about it moving forward.
“I felt that it hyperextended, and immediately it was, all right, I need to get taken out and [looked at], but if you ask me, I’m not too concerned about it,” George told The Philadelphia Inquirer after Monday’s game.