Bucks Injury Report: 2 Sixers All-Stars Will Miss Season Opener vs Milwaukee

Two Philadelphia superstars will be shelved to kick off the Bucks' first game of the 2024-25 season.

Jan 9, 2021; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers logo at center court before a game against the Denver Nuggets at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Two of the Philadelphia 76ers' big three All-Stars will be shelved to kick off the Milwaukee Bucks' first game of the 2024-25 season on Wednesday.

According to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN, All-Star combo forward Paul George and perpetual MVP candidate center Joel Embiid will miss the Wednesday encounter. In fact, Embiid is out for the ensuing week after missing the entire preseason with left knee management. The 7-foot-1 big man is looking to load manage his health this year in an effort to be healthy for the playoffs, something he's rarely managed to do in years past.

"Embiid is responding well to his individualized plan and is expected to ramp up his return to play activities this week, including scrimmaging," Shelburne writes. "He will not play in games this week and will be re-evaluated this weekend. George is recovering well and is expected to ramp up on-court activities early this week. He is out Wednesday vs. Milwaukee and his return to play will be assessed later in the week."

George, who inked a four-year, $211.6 million summer deal with Philadelphia as a free agent after five title-less seasons for his hometown Los Angeles Clippers, also has a left knee issue, having hyperextended his own in a clash against the Atlanta Hawks during the preseason. It seems likely he'll be back sooner than Embiid, based on the language of Shleburne's report.

On the Bucks side, former three-time All-Star starting small forward Khris Middleton will miss at least the first contest of the regular season. He's been shelved since the start of the Bucks' preseason while recuperating from summer ankle surgeries.

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The 6-foot-7 swingman out of Texas A&M has not been able to partake in 5-on-5 scrimmages yet, so it seems possible Middleton may miss at least a few of these early Bucks bouts. The oft-hurt 33-year-old missed 27 contests in 2023-24 and a whopping 49 clashes the year prior. He hasn't looked his All-Star self since 2021-22, having lost a step defensively and struggled to stay on the floor long enough to reach his All-Star scoring levels.

Across his last two seasons, Middleton has averaged just 15.1 points on .471/.355/.865 shooting splits, 5.2 assists, 4.5 rebounds, and 0.8 steals a night in a combined 88 games (74 starts).

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