NBA Rumors: Paul George's status for the Philadelphia 76ers' season opener is officially in jeopardy.
When Paul George decided to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers during the offseason, the entire narrative around the team began to change. The Sixers were now a legit NBA Championship contender in the Eastern Conference. With a Big 3 of Tyrese Haliburton, PG, and Joel Embiid, the Sixers now had both the top-tier talent and depth to compete with any team in the league - possibly even the Boston Celtics.
Of course, contingent on the team staying healthy. Even more so for the Sixers, their championship hopes are going to rely on their health. It's not just on Embiid anymore. If Philadelphia is going to accomplish big things this season, they're going to need everyone healthy. In a recent pre-season game, the team's entire hopes nearly came tumbling down. In what looked like a potentially disastrous injury, PG injured his knee against the Atlanta Hawks.
After being examined by the team, it appears PG avoided a huge injury. According to recent reporting, PG is not expected to miss an extended amount of time and will be re-evaluated in one week. But even though it appears PG - and the Sixers - avoided disaster, his status for the team's season-opener against the Milwaukee Bucks on October 23 is very much in jeopardy.
The Philadelphia 76ers are already in load management mode
Considering the alternative, this is amazing news for the Sixers. The last thing they needed heading into the start of the season was news that PG would miss a month or two. Even if he does end up missing a few games at the start of the regular season, I'm sure that's a trade-off Philadelphia would take at this point. That said, that doesn't make it ideal.
In many ways, the Sixers are already in load management mode with Embiid who is not going to play a single minute in pre-season (by design). The expectation is that he will be ready for the start of the regular season but even that hasn't been cemented down as fact.
The regular season hasn't even started and the team does feel as if they're on shaky ground. That said, the ceiling for this team is extremely high. If they can remain healthy, anything and everything is on the table for the Sixers this season.