Sixers say Kelly Oubre Jr. suffered a ligament injury in his knee; Paul George could make his season debut
The 76ers’ have defied the odds with an impressive start to the season, but inside the team’s practice facility on Sunday, there was a sense of concern regarding Kelly Oubre Jr.
The small forward’s long-term availability remains uncertain after the team said he injured the lateral collateral ligament in his left knee Friday in a loss to the Detroit Pistons. Oubre underwent medical imaging this weekend and will meet with a specialist to determine the extent of the injury.
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Right now, the only thing the Sixers (7-5) are sure of is that he’ll miss Monday’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
Meanwhile, Paul George could make his season debut against the Clippers.
The forward is listed as questionable with left knee surgery recovery.
Joel Embiid will miss his fourth consecutive game. This will be their third game he has missed due to right knee soreness. The 2023 MVP also sat out the Nov. 8 home loss to the Pistons to rest his surgically repaired left knee.
And reserve center Adem Bona will be out for the next three games with a sprained right ankle. He will be reevaluated on Friday, the team said.
But it’s a good thing that George might return, given that the uncertainty surrounding Oubre’s injury was the main topic after practice on Sunday.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, the recovery time for a Grade 1 (mild) sprain is three to four weeks. A Grade 2 sprain has a recovery time of four to eight weeks, while Grade 3 has a recovery time of eight to 12 weeks or more. In some cases, surgery may be necessary to repair the ligament.
“We’ve got to get a little eval here. So hopefully it won’t be too serious, but he’s really having a career year,” coach Nick Nurse said of Oubre after practice. “And he’s doing a lot of little things that don’t show up in the numbers as well. So we’ve just got to take a good, strong look and see who’s plugging into all those little areas.
“But yeah, he loves to play, loves to be out there. He’s super disappointed. Obviously, he’s playing great. So let’s just hope it’s not too long. He’s been great this year.”
The 6-foot-8, 203-pounder is averaging 16.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.1 steals while logging a career-high 34.8 minutes. Oubre is shooting 34.8% on three-pointers and routinely guards the opposing team’s best perimeter player.
He was hurt late in the first half of a 114-105 loss to Detroit at Little Caesars Arena. He stayed in the game until intermission but did not leave the locker room after halftime. Quentin Grimes replaced him in the lineup at the start of the second half.
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“You know we’ve got to stay connected. That’s the main thing when a man goes down,” VJ Edgecombe said. “You know, stay connected and do our best. Obviously, Kelly is his own player, has his own style of play, and none of us can mimic that. But we can just try to do our best to do all the little stuff that he provides, you know, with defense and scoring the ball.”
Meanwhile, George looked great during post-practice drills Sunday. The 6-8, 220-pounder was wearing the blue practice jersey, usually worn by the starters and key reserves, when the media were permitted in the gym. George previously had worn the gray jersey that denotes second unit and out-of-rotation players.
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Asked what the determining factor was for George’s return, Nurse responded: “Doctors.”
Does he have another doctor’s appointment coming up?
“That I do not know,” Nurse said.
George is awaiting the doctors’ clearance to return. Nurse said the medical staff has to make sure the strength is there in his quadriceps.
The 35-year-old underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee on July 14.
He also played in just 41 games last season due to various injuries.
Those injuries led to George struggling to create separation last season and averaging just 16.2 points, the fourth-lowest average of his 15-year NBA career. He also finished with his third-lowest three-point percentage (35.8%).
