The first pre -season match of the Philadelphia Sixers against the Knicks on Thursday was a sign of what the season will look like as Joel Embiid and Paul George miss as much time as last season. Spoiler: It will not be beautiful. How much Philadelphia and his fans hope that the team will be healthy most of the season, the reality can hit hard again.
Brian Windhorst does not buy it. On the podcast “Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective” he said he didn’t know why he said it, but as he laughed, he pointed to the optimism of the sixers about bringing their team together and healthy this season. Tim Macmahon, who was also in the show, said, “Okay, that’s enough.” It is clear that many people find it difficult to believe it will happen.
Can you blame them?
Embiid has not been healthy since he tore his meniscus in a January 2024 match against the Warriors. He essentially played that season on one leg in the play -offs. He only played 19 games last season and became Arthroscopic surgery on the same knee in April.
Philadelphia wants to ensure that EMBIID is 100 percent before he returns, so there is no fixed timeline for when that can be.
In the meantime, George played 41 games in his first season with the Sixers. In July he had an arthroscopic procedure on his knee to treat an injury that he sustained during a training out of season. There is also no fixed timeline for his return.
Will the Sixers’ season derail again due to injuries?
Embiid and George are not only offside, but Jared McCain was operated on earlier this week to repair a UCL -Traw in his right thumb. He will be evaluated again in a month, which does not mean that he will return in a month.
The regular season of Philadelphia starts in less than three weeks in Boston and the team will be without Embiid, George and McCain. Hopefully no other names will be added to that list.
It’s a long season of 82 game, so maybe, just maybeThere will be a point where the Sixers have a clean injury report, or close by. How long it will take, if it happens is the question. Injuries have plagued the career of Embiid and George, making it difficult to feel optimistic about their future as they get older.
However, Philadelphia has no choice but to believe, so you can’t blame them for that. However, they also have no one the culprit but themselves.
Let the Sixers pass the season intact the season because of the players and the fan base (for the most part).
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