Paul George has yet to make his official debut for the Philadelphia 76ers after injuring his knee in the preseason. He said that he feels “pretty strong” and is eager to rejoin the team, though he still has plenty of progress to make.
George still has to get his conditioning back up before he makes his first appearance of the 2024-25 season. The process of getting back on track has been good but having to miss time in the first place, the 76ers’ newest star said, hasn’t been fun.
“I mean, it has been completely frustrating just from wanting to finally get started with these guys and using these early games to build and find chemistry and just getting on the same page and getting up to a good start,” George said. “But since I’ve been out, I’ve still been engaged, still staying locked in with the guys, helping from the sideline, whether it’s in games, practices, and then now being able to be a full participant in practice. Now it’s just the next step in that phase.”
George participated in recent practice scrimmages and has spent time during team shootarounds running up the steps. The veteran is making sure he can stay on the court once he’s cleared to return, a process that has also featured plenty of mental reps.
Paul George doing some bleacher runs at Sixers shootaround pic.twitter.com/yiWy0m6Zj1
— Sam DiGiovanni (@BySamDiGiovanni) October 30, 2024
“I’ve been engaged throughout this whole process, so I don’t feel like I’m behind on anything,” he said. “I’ve been keeping up with play calling and where I should be and watching multiple spots so when I am ready to go, I can hit the ground running.”
Paul George progressing through rehab, hoping to make 76ers debut soon
The Sixers have had to survive without both George and Joel Embiid in the early goings of the season. It hasn’t gone well. They don’t have to take their licks when the stars sit but they will certainly have to overcome their weaknesses and start being competitive. Philly sending one of its stars back into action early because the team can’t stay afloat without them could lead to further complications. It’s early in the season but solutions are desperately needed.
George wants to help teammates “play off the catch a little bit more” when he gets back. His ability to scale up to a creator role and then back down when he, Embiid and Tyrese Maxey all play is a big reason why the Sixers wanted him. George seems comfortable doing both and he is certainly capable of it, even if he’s missed time to mesh with his new teammates.
George’s focus, he said, is “taking a lot of pressure off ’em mentally with having another score, another person that the defense has to account for.” He said that Embiid’s presence on the floor is “different,” encompassing every defender’s attention in a unique way.
The 76ers are 1-3 to begin the season as Embiid and George ramp up. Both will be out for Philly’s next game against the Memphis Grizzlies but after that comes a West Coast trip that features a stop in Los Angeles. George will “absolutely” be traveling with the team for that trip, he said.
“The time will come,” Paul George said, evoking Embiid’s “cliche” phrase to say that the two of them have to “trust the process of coming back and being prepared and ready to go when that time is.”
Be the first to comment