Another injury on the woodpile for Philadelphia as ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Monday night that Sixers‘ star Paul George underwent a successful arthroscopic procedure on his left knee Monday after suffering an injury during a recent workout.
The Sixers have since confirmed to Philly Sports Network that George will begin a rehab program as he recovers and will be re-evaluated before the start of training camp. Unfortunately, that is not a timeline for an injury update; it’s an admission that they will not provide updates until shortly before training camp, similar to the team’s approach to Joel Embiid.
While George reportedly has avoided major injury and did not injure the same knee (right) as his compound fracture from his Pacers days, the injured knee (left) in this case was the same as his two hyperextensions and bone bruises last season. George was eventually ruled out for the season after receiving injections to that knee and the adductor in the same leg.
The offseason continues to bring more of the same for the Sixers. Not only has the offseason seen little change for the team, aside from effectively swapping Guerschon Yabusele for Trendon Watford and the addition of draft picks VJ Edgecombe and Johni Broome, but injuries continue to be the top story.
According to the team, George’s surgery was performed by Dr. Glashow, the same doctor who famously treated Kawhi Leonard’s knee, and more recently, the knee of George’s teammate, Joel Embiid.
Since Embiid’s surgery, there have been few official updates on the status of Joel Embiid, with the most recent reporting suggesting that he’s only participating in partial on-court activities. That is not inherently a reflection of Dr. Glashow, who is likely one of the most orthopedic surgeons in sports, but it does reflect the truth about the Sixers
Paul George’s surgery is certainly unfortunate, despite being deemed a “success.” Arthroscopic procedures are often considered minor, but at George’s age and with his injury history, this is another injury and surgery on the woodpile of already well-traveled knees.
There is still plenty of time between now and training camp, which is expected to take place in late September. A full recovery could certainly be in order between now and then, but skepticism is certainly fair, as this dark cloud already hangs over the second year of Paul George’s tenure in Philadelphia.
