Philadelphia 76ers star Paul George is currently dealing with a groin strain. The Sixers forward missed the team’s March 6 loss to the Boston Celtics.
On March 8, Adam Aaronson of The Philly Voice reported that head coach Nick Nurse told the media George would miss ‘at least’ the next two games.
“Nick Nurse says Paul George is out at least for the next two games,” Aaronson posted on X.
George, 34, joined the Sixers during the summer. He has played in 41 games in his debut season for the franchise, averaging 16.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists. The veteran forward is shooting 43% from the field and 35.8% from deep.
Without George in the rotation, the Sixers will undoubtedly struggle on both sides of the floor. Tyrese Maxey has missed the team’s last two games, while Joel Embiid is out for the season due to a knee injury.
Daryl Morey knew that George would likely pick up injuries throughout his tenure with the franchise. However, Morey likely didn’t expect the Sixers to be decimated by health issues in the way they have this season. With Philadelphia sitting 12th in the Eastern Conference, the team’s season is hanging by a thread.
Sixers’ Nick Nurse Won’t Shut Down Paul George
During his postgame news conference after the Sixers 105-123 loss to the Boston Celtics on March 6, Nurse refuted the idea of shutting George down for the remainder of the season.
“We want them to play if they’re able to play, right?,” Nurse said. “For me, the medical people tell me if they’re good. … I think, at the end of the third the other night, he just wasn’t able to continue. So that kind of stuff happens too, and I just take my directions from them.”
Despite his age, George is still one of the best two-way forwards in the NBA. When healthy, he’s an elite defender, playmaker, scorer and play finisher. Nurse will undoubtedly be hoping that George can get healthy and help spearhead a resurgence for the Sixers. Philadelphia is currently 3.5 games behind the Chicago Bulls, who occupy the 10th seed in the Eastern Conference.
Sixers’ Paul George Has Put Podcast on Hiatus
In a Feb. 24 episode of his ‘Podcast P with Paul George’ podcast, George made the shock decision to put his show on hiatus. The 9-time All-Star has made the decision in the hope that it will allow him to hyperfocus on helping the Sixers salvage their disastrous season.
“It’s no secret this season is up to this point, man,” George said. “It hasn’t been what we envision…With that being said, though, I want to let the Podcast P family know that after today’s episode with Dwight (Howard), I plan to take a break from the pod to focus on getting my body right, getting mentally right and help this squad make a push towards our goal. To finish the season, I’ll give ourselves a chance to be in contention to compete for a championship.”
Unfortunately for George, putting his show on hiatus can’t help him avoid injury or recover any quicker. Still, once he’s back in the rotation and fully focused, there’s a chance that he could be the catalyst to Philadelphia making the play-in tournament. However, Philadelphia likely stands no chance of making a deep playoff push this season.
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