The Sixers are struggling. And two of its superstars are nowhere to be found. After a delayed season debut, Joel Embiid has played only 4 games so far. A lingering left knee injury caused him to sit out the last two encounters. Meanwhile, Paul George has also been out since November 20 after hyper-extending his knee during the Grizzlies game. The same one he injured in preseason, that delayed his 76ers debut. Amid rising concerns, PG gave Philly a ray of hope with a positive update on his health and the timeline for his return.

Addressing how he is feeling now, Paul George said, “Feeling better. Feeling better.” However, he revealed that it has been difficult dealing with the same injury twice in one month: “Yeah. I mean it’s super frustrating, especially of course how the season’s going. And then to have a reoccurring injury, you know it’s super frustrating.” Amid the two stars’ absence, the Sixers have only won three games so far and are among the bottom two teams in the East.

Despite the setback, however, PG has kept an optimistic approach. “You know I’m always positive about stuff, optimistic about stuff. It was a setback, but I’ve been getting stronger, been working on everything I need to work on to kind of get back into the mix. At a good place of progressing and hopefully be back to the guys very shortly.”

The newest Sixer could return to the hardwood very soon, as he affirmed, “Hopefully within the next week!” Although the timeline has not been cleared yet, that’s the mindset PG-13 has kept amid his recovery, based on how his knee has been feeling and the workouts. “Hopefully, within a week, I’ll be ready to go,” he reassured the fans. So, that was the update on George, but what about his partner?

Paul George’s update boosts hope but Joel Embiid’s health is still a massive concern

Sure enough, Philly fans would be happy to know that PG-13 could return next week. Yes, he has not played up to his standard so far, averaging only 14.9 points on a career-low 27.8% shooting from deep range. However, a lot of it has to do with him adjusting to the new environment and frequent unavailability because of injury. And many believe that once he is consistently in the lineup, Paul George will return to playing at an All-Star level. Obviously, that will boost the Sixers’ chances of getting more wins as right now, they are only relying on Tyrese Maxey and rookie Jared McCain to get the job done, which is quite lopsided for the Philly side.

But they will only be at complete strength when Joel Embiid returns. Unfortunately, there is still no timeline for when that will/would/can happen. Yes, he has been ruled out once again for tomorrow’s Rockets game. Obviously, he has been unable to find any rhythm after playing very few games, and his numbers have dropped to 19.8 points and less than eight rebounds.

Nick Nurse also gave an update about Joel Embiid’s health in a recent interview, confirming, “Just talked to Joel a few hours ago earlier today. He says he’s feeling a little better. Swelling’s getting better.” But based on how the season has gone so far, it is difficult to say when the former MVP will return fully healthy. Of course, the City of Brotherly Love is waiting for the day its Big Three hits the court together and plays through an entire game, unfazed by injury, sparking a turnaround.