“I got to be aggressive. Regardless if it’s preseason or not, I’m trying to just build habits.” Right after Philly‘s preseason debut game against Minnesota, Paul George had set certain expectations for himself. Having signed with a new franchise after a five-year stint with the LA Clippers, this preseason provided the hooper an opportunity to start building proper momentum alongside his on-court partners Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. Unfortunately, an unexpected injury will now force him to delay his plans for the time being.

During the 2nd quarter against the Hawks, the 34-year-old small forward was seen going down after a failed attempt to get to the lane, while surveilling Jalen Johnson. After being escorted back to the locker room, Philadelphia Inquirer’s Gina Mizell reported that Paul George was suffering from a left knee hyperextension. This is not an official diagnosis, but just an observation. Athletic trainer and injury specialist, Jeff Stotts revealed that official testing will be needed to determine how long the player will be sidelined.

Keeping the severity of the injury to one side, with less than two weeks to go until the regular season, this unfortunate news would’ve been amongst the last things that Paul George’s squad would have wanted. According to reports, a hyperextension injury takes place when a joint is forced or pulled “beyond its normal range of motion.”

While this can cause tissues around the joint to be damaged, a more severe hyperextension can cause the ligaments, responsible for providing stability to the joint, to tear. The joint then becomes unstable and increases the risk of dislocation or other types of injuries.

Dr. Michael S. George revealed in an interview that several factors can affect the severity level of the injury. Examples include “the magnitude and direction of the force applied and the flexibility of that particular athlete’s knee.” Jeff Stots believes that ailments labeled as ‘hyper-extended knee’ can keep an individual on rest for an average period of 6.4 days.

Believe it or not, this is not the first time that the player has suffered from this ailment. Paul George sustained hyperextension on his right knee back in 2023. He missed 9 games due to it. With Joel Embiid being out of the preseason picture after he was placed on a “scheduled assessment of his knee”, the 76ers are now without two of its lead scorers. If the last few years have told us anything, it is that the franchise should have been careful to not utilize the 34-year-old too much.

Does Paul George have a history of developing major injuries?

Having joined the NBA back in 2010 after being drafted as the 10th overall pick by the Pacers, Paul George wouldn’t sustain his first major injury until 4 years later. During a Team USA scrimmage, he landed awkwardly on his right leg and snapped the bottom part in half. The severity of the injury forced George to spend 8 months in recovery, sidelining him for most of the 2014-15 NBA season.

In 2019, after having transferred to the Clippers, the duo of Paul George and Kawhi Leonard were set to make waves and take the franchise to new levels. However, both players ended up suffering from different ailments during their tenure in LA, with PG, in particular, dealing with shoulder, knee, and elbow injuries. By the time August 2023 rolled around, he had played only 56 games at the most in each of the 4 seasons, with his 31 appearances during the 2021-22 season being the least during his time in LA.

Restricting both Paul George and Joel Embiid during the preseason game may be a saving grace, as the recovery period would allow them to be ready and available during the regular season. Until an official update is provided by the team, it is hard to determine when the 9x NBA All-Star can be expected to return.

Before you go, remember to check out this crossover between BG12 and Georgia Bulldogs star Silas Demary Jr.