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76ers Superstars Joel Embiid, Paul George Will Miss Season Opener vs. Bucks
The Philadelphia 76ers are set to take on the Milwaukee Bucks as part of the NBA season tip-off on Wednesday night. Unfortunately for the Sixers, fans in attendance, and ESPN, Philly will be quite a bit short of star power.
The team announced Tuesday that MVP big man Joel Embiid and All-Star wing Paul George would both miss the season opener against the Bucks. Embiid didn't appear in any of the Sixers' preseason games due to "left knee management," while George hyperextended his knee in a preseason contest earlier this month.
ESPN's Shams Charania noted that while Embiid is progressing well in his ramp-up to playing, he will not appear in any of the three games Philadelphia has scheduled this week. It's the same for George, who will be re-evaluated next week.
It is a concerning way to kick off the Embiid/George era in Philadelphia. George was the team's prized free agent acquisition, an ideal third wheel to complement Embiid's dominance and the playmaking of Tyrese Maxey. However, he is 34 years old and has missed at least 26 games in four of the last five seasons. It isn't the end of the world for him to miss the first game of this season but it's also not exactly an auspicious start.
Embiid's injury management, meanwhile, is starting to grow more worrisome. He was clearly injured in the postseason last year and wasn't moving well at times during the Summer Olympics. It seems his time off hasn't really helped, and when paired with Embiid's admission that he probably won't ever play back-to-backs for the rest of his career, well... The questions begin about his immediate and long-term health.
In the short-term, the Sixers will be facing a Bucks team with their own injury issues. Khris Middleton was reported as out for the opener yesterday while he continues to recover from ankle surgery.
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Liam McKeone is a senior writer for the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has been in the industry as a content creator since 2017, and prior to joining SI in May 2024, McKeone worked for NBC Sports Boston and The Big Lead. In addition to his work as a writer, he has hosted the Press Pass Podcast covering sports media and The Big Stream covering pop culture. A graduate of Fordham University, he is always up for a good debate and enjoys loudly arguing about sports, rap music, books and video games. McKeone has been a member of the National Sports Media Association since 2020.