Finally! One of the most anticipated returns can be expected very soon, as the latest Paul George update has Philly sighing in relief. Yet to make his official regular season debut as a Sixer, arguably the biggest off-season trade piece, PG has been sidelined for quite a bit.

But Shams Charania of ESPN has positive news ahead of the 76ers’ matchup against the Suns. “George is set to make his comeback on Monday from a bone bruise in left knee on Oct. 14. 76ers then play the Clippers on Wednesday in George’s return to Los Angeles.”

George played a short stint in the preseason but suffered a bone bruise on his knee during a game against the Atlanta Hawks. Although he’s been making progress toward a return for weeks, a comeback had remained out of the question. And that’s when Charania dropped the optimistic update.

What’s more interesting is, as the hoops insider mentioned, it will be a homecoming for the Sixers star, as well. Following the Phoenix matchup, the 76ers will visit the Intuit Dome for a Clippers showdown. And there is no doubt that it’s going to be as thrilling as the Stephen Curry-Jordan Poole meetup.

Getting Paul George back on the floor is going to be a huge relief for Tyrese Maxey and the team. Without their star player, the ‘City of Champions’ has struggled, posting a 1-4 record. With PG-13 set to play against the Suns, the Sixers will definitely benefit from his offensive firepower. After all, they will be facing Phoenix’s Big 3, so scoring will be crucial to keep up with Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal, and Devin Booker.

However, another reason the 9x All-Star’s return is a real comfort is the Joel Embiid drama.

Paul George’s return is a consolation amidst the altercation between Joel Embiid and Marcus Hayes

No doubt you are aware of the ugly scuffle between ‘The Process’ and the sports columnist by now. “The next time you bring up my dead brother and my son again, you are going to see what I’m going to do to you and I’m going to have to.” – Embiid had reportedly told Hayes after his scathing column about Joel’s absence.

While many, including talking heads, have called him out for remaining sidelined on account of injury management, Hayes’ route was a ‘road not taken’ by too many people. Just to refresh your memory, here’s what the Philadelphia Inquirer columnist wrote:

“Joel Embiid consistently points to the birth of his son, Arthur, as the major inflection point in his career. He often says that he wants to be great to leave a legacy for the boy named after his little brother who tragically died in an automobile accident when Embiid was in his first year as a 76er.” This was deleted after a few hours.

Needless to say, it triggered the Cameroonian big man and after Saturday night’s loss to the Grizzlies, Joel Embiid shoved Marcus Hayes in the Sixers locker room, per The Athletic. 

The two had an argument, following which Embiid lost whatever shred of self-restraint he had. Furthermore, an NBA spokesperson acknowledged they were “aware of reports of an incident in the Sixers locker room,” and “are commencing an investigation.”

If you remember, the Sixers team had sat him out for the entire preseason; the reason being risk management. And then to add more fuel to the fire, the 30-year-old said that he wasn’t going to be playing in back-to-back games. It absolutely did not sit well with Charles Barkley, who had also rained fire on Embiid in the TNT’s very first episode.

“I was so disappointed in Joel Embiid saying he wasn’t going to play back-to-back games. You’re one of the three, four or five best players in the world! … As the best player on that team, and a leader, I would never go into a season saying I’m not going to play back-to-back games. I thought that was a bad message,” he said.

And if the attention on the matter wasn’t enough, the league commenced an investigation to look into his absence from their season-opening loss to the Bucks. The result? A $100,000 fine for contrary “public statements around the health status” of Embiid, per Charania.

Despite these issues, going after a player by way of their family seemed to have touched a nerve in many households. And Hayes issued an apology. However, in another column, he made sure to give back in kind touching upon the massive amount of money the hooper raked in despite suiting up for “just 54% of the regular-season games in his first 10 seasons.” 

Regardless, Paul George couldn’t have returned at a better time. A few wins led by him and Tyrese Maxey, along with George’s homecoming with the Clippers, could help shift the focus away from the ongoing drama surrounding Joel Embiid. Hopefully!