The Philadelphia 76ers are coming off an injury-riddled 2024-25 campaign, finishing 13th in the Eastern Conference with a 24-58 record.
After signing Paul George to a four-year, $211.6 million deal last offseason, the Sixers had high hopes for the trio of Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and George, alongside their solid supporting pieces. However, injuries took over, with the trio combining to play just 112 total games. Jared McCain, Kyle Lowry and Eric Gordon also missed significant time due to injuries as well.
Now, the 76ers will look to get healthy and make a playoff push after a disastrous 2024-25 season. However, lingering injury concerns around Embiid and George have tempered expectations, with Zach Harper of The Athletic cautioning fans against getting their hopes up too early.
“George had surgery on his left knee last month and will be re-evaluated before training camp. That doesn’t mean he’ll be back,” he wrote. “It just means we’ll likely get an update from the Sixers on his status on media day. This is already troubling for George, who has played just 304 games, or a little more than 50 games per season, over the last six seasons. Maybe I’m being too reactionary, but with the Sixers, it’s better to assume the worst and hope for the best than to assume the best or even just solid news.”
MORE: 76ers' $212 million star forward Paul George named trade candidate by NBA writer
The 76ers haven’t advanced past the second round of the postseason since 2001, despite high expectations in recent years with Embiid leading the squad. However, the Eastern Conference is wide open this year, and a healthy 76ers team could make a deep playoff run.
That being said, Embiid continues to deal with lingering left knee issues and has appeared in only 58 regular-season games over the past two seasons. He returned to basketball activities in mid-July, though the team has yet to provide an update on his status ahead of training camp.
Additionally, George may not be ready for the start of the regular season following his arthroscopic left knee surgery. While the 76ers have an impressive roster on paper, they will need to avoid another run of injuries to reach their full potential.
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