“All around, it was definitely a rusty game,” Paul George said, after the 76ers’ tough loss to the Suns. The All-Star forward made his Sixers debut against Phoenix. Although it wasn’t a particularly memorable night, scoring 15 points, five rebounds, and four assists on 4-of-14 shooting in 32 minutes, PG believed there were no positive outtakes to his performance.

“I was able to go out there and compete, free of any thoughts of my body not holding up. I felt completely fine. That was a positive in it,” he shared. Well, that’s a great update, especially considering it came from the man himself, wouldn’t you say?

So, does that mean everything is on schedule for the highly anticipated homecoming showdown against the Clippers tonight? Everything else except Paul George. The latest update by Underdog NBA casts a shadow over the excitement, as it lists PG-13 as ‘probable’ for the matchup on account of his knee issues. “Paul George (knee) listed probable for Wednesday,” mentioned the post.

Paul, who signed a four-year $212 million contract in the off-season with Philly, missed the team’s last five games due to a bone bruise he suffered in a preseason matchup. George’s health was a key area many were worried about when the franchise signed him. After all, they already have an injury-prone superstar center. With both Embiid and George out, the pressure falls on Tyrese Maxey to perform.

Yet, much like Joel Embiid, the impact the 14-year veteran forward brings to the team when healthy far outweighed those concerns. However, right now, Paul isn’t the only concern for the ‘City of Champions’.

Aside from Paul George, the Sixers face another hurdle

With the 9x All-Star, we have a glimmer of hope that he could suit up come 10:00 PM E at Intuit Dome. But the same cannot be said of Embiid. The U.S.A. center has been at the epicenter of quite the drama since the start of the 2024-25. During media day, ‘The Process’ claimed he couldn’t wait to bring a championship to Philly and how it would take his medical team and teammates holding him back to keep him from leading the franchise on the court.

The Sixers fans are still waiting on that promise!

And now, just when he was cleared for a return, the league announced a three-game suspension for the shoving incident with the Philadelphia Inquirer columnist, Marcus Hayes. So, there goes that hope! Prior to this, the 7x All-Star had been sidelined with injury management for his left knee.

During this period, Embiid made some questionable statements regarding his availability. Suffice it to say, the reception wasn’t the best. And that is putting it mildly.

On the brighter side, both the stars seem to have overcome the issues plaguing them for now. All we need now is a quick-fire combination between Embiid and George on the floor together. Going back to the Fresno State alum’s impact in the Suns’ game, although he was “rusty,” Paul did make the team better. For one, PG’s presence gave them more size on the perimeter, freeing Tyrese Maxey to score at will without worrying about 3-point shooting.

Ultimately, the health and availability of the All-Stars will be crucial factors in determining Philly’s success and playoff prospects. For now, let’s hope Paul George will take the floor at Inglewood.