Joel Embiid, Paul George to miss 76ers’ opener in troubling trend
The Sixers’ Big 3 is a Big 1 in their 2024-25 NBA opener.
After an offseason hyping the new Joel Embiid-Paul George-Tyrese Maxey trio, Embiid and George will miss Wednesday’s season opener against the Bucks in Philadelphia.
Embiid, who has a balky left knee, will also miss Friday’s road game against the Raptors and Sunday’s road tilt against the Pacers, the team announced Tuesday.
The 76ers’ statement said Embiid is “responding well to his individualized plan” and is scheduled to scrimmage this week, and both he and George, who suffered a hyperextended left knee during the preseason, will be re-evaluated over the weekend, per ESPN.
“He’s practiced, he’s looking good, he’s progressing, he’s not quite ready yet, he’ll be ready pretty soon,” 76ers coach Nick Nurse told reporters about Embiid on Tuesday.
The 76ers are hoping they can finally break through behind their new Big 3 but their unit has injury concerns that are already causing some panic.
Embiid appeared in just 39 games last season due to his knee injuries, which affected him during the first-round loss to the Knicks.
He did not play during the preseason and while Nurse indicated there is no setback, the team does not feel comfortable putting him on the court yet.
George, the team’s prized offseason acquisition, sustained his injury last week against the Hawks and will wait a little bit longer to wear a Philadelphia jersey for the first time.
While George may be the best No. 3 option in the NBA, he has appeared in less than 55 games in four of the previous five seasons.
76ers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey previously told ESPN the team would prefer to avoiding George and Embiid in back-to-back games.
With the stars sidelined, Maxey will attempt to galvanize the team around him against a Bucks squad aiming to rebound from last year’s first-round exit.
Both teams — along with the Knicks — are expected to push the Celtics in the Eastern Conference.
