Philadelphia 76ers standouts Joel Embiid and Paul George said there’s no certain timeline for their respective returns to action as both players work their way back from knee surgery.
Embiid, 31, played a career-low 19 games last season due to a left knee injury and foot sprain. His season came to an end in February after he averaged 23.8 points (his fewest since 2019-20) and 8.2 rebounds (his fewest since his 2016-17 rookie season), snapping a streak of seven straight All-Star nods.
The 2022-23 MVP had arthroscopic knee surgery in April and said he feels pretty good and is taking things day by day in his recovery.
“There’s not necessarily an expectation; it’s more about making sure everything is right and doing everything right and then go from there,” Embiid said. “Obviously the goal is to play consistently and not be the position that we were last year.”
George, 35, played 41 games in the first year of his four-year, $212 million contract he signed with the Sixers last offseason. He averaged 16.2 points and 5.3 rebounds per game before his season ended in March due to left knee and left adductor injuries which required injections.
The nine-time All-Star then sustained a left knee injury during a workout in July, undergoing surgery that month that will sideline him for the start of the team’s training camp.
“I’m getting better and better. Feeling stronger and stronger,” George said. “This next couple of weeks is very important, leading into the start of the season, opening night, all of that stuff. All I can do is just focus on doing that, day after day, taking it one day at a time. I do think I will be at a good place, hopefully, earlier than later.”
Injuries derailed Philadelphia’s 2024-25 season, finishing 24-58 and missing the playoffs for the first time since 2016-17. The Sixers lucked out in the draft lottery, jumping up two spots to land the No. 3 pick, selecting Baylor guard VJ Edgecombe.
The 76ers open preseason with a pair of exhibitions versus the Knicks on Oct. 2 and 4 in Abu Dhabi. They begin the regular season Oct. 22 at Boston.