Sixers News: Paul George Opens up on Providing Support to Joel Embiid
As of late, the Philadelphia 76ers have managed to recover from the injury woes that derailed the opening weeks of the season. Ahead of their return to play, Paul George opened up on how he's been offering support to one of his star teammates.
The member of the Sixers' big three who has missed the most time is Joel Embiid. While he's looked dominant when he's on the floor, his appearances have been far from consistent. Almost halfway through December now, the former MVP has only played in five games. Embiid has been sidelined as he continues to manage the knee he hurt last season, with swelling being among the main issues.
Following practice on Thursday, PG was asked about how he can uplift Embiid as he continues to deal with these issues. As someone who has battled their fair share of injuries in his career, this is something the All-Star forward has a lot of experience with. Overall, George said the main thing is just being there for Embiid as much as he can.
"You face the injury that you know you're not yourself. You not the same but you're expected to be yourself," George said. "Mentally it is tough. It is hard to come to grips and try to figure out how can I kind of close the distance of what I was while being this new, re-tooling and everything. I 100% understand where he comes from...Only thing I can do is be a support for him."
Based on his more recent performances, Embiid has shown he's still capable of being a dominant force on both ends. Last weekend against the Bulls, he recorded 31 points and 12 rebounds after being on the sidelines for over two weeks.
Following an extended break in the schedule, it appears that Embiid could be remaining in the lineup for the Sixers. They are slated to take on the Indiana Pacers Friday, and the All-Star big man is not listed on the injury report.