The Philadelphia 76ers woes are about to go from bad to worse as they fell to 2-12 on the season with a 111-117 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. In addition, blockbuster summer signing Paul George appears to have reinjured his left knee, the same knee which kept him out of the 76ers opening five games of the season.
Here's more angles of Paul George suffering a left knee hyperextension, the same knee he injured in the preseason. He exited the game after this play. pic.twitter.com/b7InyM9Q3T
— Erin Grugan (@eringrugan) November 21, 2024
Shams Charania confirmed George suffered another left knee hyperextension during the game, which could put his status in upcoming games under question.
“76ers’ Paul George has a left knee hyperextension and will not return tonight vs. Grizzlies.”
The 76ers will have to evaluate when they can bring George back, as it wouldn’t be wise to try and play him until he can return confident in his health and ability. Injuring the same knee twice in the span of a month is not ideal and could be a warning sign for a worse injury if he tries to play through it.
George was having a rough game at the time of his injury in the third quarter, scoring just two points (1-6 FG) in 17 minutes. The 76ers did overturn a double-digit deficit in the fourth quarter behind Joel Embiid (35 PTS, 11 REB) and Jared McCain (20 PTS), but it wasn’t enough to beat the Grizzlies without Ja Morant.
This is a huge blow to the 76ers as they are looking to turn their season around after a disastrous 2-12 start to the year. George has looked bad through the eight games he’s played this season, averaging 14.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 4.8 assists.
A player of his caliber can easily turn their form around after getting acclimated, but more time on the shelf means that process will be delayed even more.
The Philadelphia 76ers Are In Danger
A cold start to the season is something most Playoff caliber teams can shrug off and ignore, but the 76ers need to pull off a historic comeback to make the Playoffs at this rate. Only two teams have ever turned a 2-12 record around for a Playoff berth, the 2004-05 Chicago Bulls and the 1996-97 San Antonio Spurs. While they were strong teams, neither came close to making a run at the Championship.
The 76ers were designed to compete for a title and bring the franchise to their first Conference Finals since 2001, but it’s gone horribly to start the year. Tyrese Maxey suffered an injury he’s trying to push through and return to help the franchise, but he was ineffective tonight with eight points (2-13 FG) in just 19 minutes.
Joel Embiid had a strong performance tonight after looking rusty in his first few games of the season, but it still wasn’t enough to earn a win. With George’s impending absence, the 76ers can’t load manage Embiid and also hope to make the Playoffs given the 10-game deficit they have to overcome just to reach a .500 record.
With a top-six protected pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, the 76ers might be faced with a hard truth about how they approach this season to still have a chance of winning a title with their core.
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