76ers Star Paul George Receives Official Injury Diagnosis

Paul George will miss the rest of the 2024 NBA Preseason.

Sep 30, 2024; Camden, NJ, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George (8) poses for a photo on media day at the Philadelphia 76ers Training Complex. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

After getting his knee checked out on Tuesday, Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George received a positive update with his official diagnosis.

According to a team official, George underwent an MRI on Tuesday. The results revealed no structural damage. He was diagnosed with a bone bruise.

The Sixers expect to re-evaluate George in approximately one week.

George will miss the remainder of the 76ers’ 2024 Preseason run. When they faced the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday, George was already scheduled to have a day off. He will also miss Friday’s game against the Orlando Magic, which serves as the preseason finale.

Considering George will be evaluated once again next week, his official playing status for the season opener against the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday is officially unclear.

While the setback is unfortunate, the nine-time All-Star doesn’t seem to be in danger of missing a notable chunk of time.

On Monday night, George was playing in his second preseason game with the Sixers. He checked in for 12 minutes before leaving the game early.

As the Sixers worked on closing out on the Atlanta Hawks, George was ruled out for the rest of the game due to a knee hyperextension. After the game, the All-Star forward was in good spirits.

When the Sixers returned to their practice facility for a Tuesday morning practice, George was in the building but not as a participant. According to Sixers head coach Nick Nurse, George had a scheduled day off before the injury took place. Prior to the MRI, Nurse was optimistic.

“PG was here today. Got looked at again. Everything checks out OK,” the head coach told reporters. “They are going to do some further imaging this afternoon to see if there’s anything else. He’s in good spirits. A number of the vets didn’t practice today, coming off of a late night. But we’ll see what happens with imaging.”

George ends the preseason with just two appearances. He averaged 16 points on 55 percent shooting from the field. He also produced four rebounds, two assists, and one steal per game in the matchups against Minnesota and Atlanta.

Now, George is focused on a recovery period with hopes of making it back in time for the opener.