Why Paul George is unlikely to be ready for the start of the regular season

Paul George is it is unlikely that he will be ready when is Philadelphia 76ers open the 2025-26 season, head coach Nick Nurse he said on Thursday.

George just started participating in full-contact drills after underwent arthroscopic knee surgery in Julyand the nurse indicated that the timeframe was short for the forward to be available for either the preseason finale or the regular season opener.

PHLI’s Derek Bodner reported on the Bluesky: “Nick Nurse said Paul George only played a little 5-on-5 today, and indicated that it’s unlikely George played in the preseason finale, or even next week’s regular season opener, given that he just started playing in live portions of practice yesterday.”

Bodner also noted earlier in the day that George was a full participant in Thursday’s practice, including 5-on-5 segments, although that progress was cautious. He compared George’s return to Joel Embiid, who was a planned non-participant that session.

Nick Nurse signals that Paul George’s return is unlikely as Sixers measure recovery timeline

At 35 years old, George is leading the recovery process after suffering a knee injury during the offseason. He underwent surgery on July 14 to address damage to his left knee and has dealt with injuries in recent seasons. In March of last season, the 76ers ruled him out for the rest of the campaign and gave him injections in his left adductor and knee.

In the 2024-25 season, persistent injuries limited George to just 41 games. He averaged 16.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.8 steals per game while shooting 43% from the field and 35.8% from three-point range.

Philadelphia wraps up the preseason on Friday against the Minnesota Timberwolves at 7:00 PM ET. The The 76ers will open the regular season on Wednesday, October 22, in Boston — a game that now looks uncertain for George.

If George is unavailable, Philadelphia may have to rely more on Tyrese Maxey, Jared McCain and Kelly Oubre Jr. early in the season. Nick Nurse also talked about it earlier George’s potential role as a mentor to younger playersbut that developmental impact may be delayed depending on his health.

An exact timeline for George’s return has not been confirmed, but his limited 5-on-5 workload suggests he could miss a few early games. The organization will likely monitor his status closely as the Sixers try to balance competing goals with caution in managing his recovery.