Paul George will make his season debut Monday night against the Los Angeles Clippers at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
His return is not a surprise, as the 76ers forward looked great during post-practice drills Sunday. The 6-foot-8, 220-pounder even wore a blue practice jersey, which is usually reserved for starters, when the media was permitted in the gym.
He also had the blue jersey on during Monday morning’s shootaround. George previously wore the gray jersey, which denotes a player is in the second unit or out of the rotation, despite being a full participant in practice since Oct. 19.
On Monday, he was in the starting lineup alongside Dominick Barlow, Andre Drummond, VJ Edgecombe, and Tyrese Maxey.
George’s return was delayed because doctors wanted to see substantial strength in his left quadriceps before clearing him to play. As a result, George missed all four exhibition games and the first 12 regular-season games following arthroscopic left knee surgery on July 11.
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Monday’s contest against his former team will be George’s first game since March 3 against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The 35-year-old played in only 41 games last season — his first as a Sixer — while hampered by various injuries. George was ruled out for the remainder of that season on March 17, the day he received injections in the left adductor muscle in his groin and left knee.
He was expected to return in time for training camp. However, the nine-time All-Star’s knee surgery caused him to miss additional time.
His return comes at a good time for the Sixers, who are without Kelly Oubre Jr. (left knee ligament), Joel Embiid (right knee soreness), and Adem Bona (sprained right ankle).
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The hope is that George can improve upon last season’s performance.
He struggled to create separation and averaged just 16.2 points, the fourth-lowest average of his 15-year NBA career. George also finished with a three-point percentage of .358, the third-lowest of his career.
