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By Alex Kirschenbaum
Contributing Entertainment Writer
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Nine-time All-Star combo forward Paul George was the marquee free-agent addition for the Philadelphia 76ers this summer. His addition helped form a new "Big Three" in the Eastern Conference, as he's slated to suit up alongside All-Star now-teammates Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.
But he has yet to make his regular season for the club, as the oft-injured 34-year-old is already hurt to kick off the 2024-25 season.
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Shams Charania of ESPN reports that the 6-foot-8 superstar continues to recuperate from a left knee bone bruise incurred during a preseason matchup with the Atlanta Hawks. He is set to miss Philadelphia's upcoming two-game road trip, but the Sixers will supply a progress report for his recovery timeline next week.
Without Embiid or George, the Sixers were easy targets for the Milwaukee Bucks in their season opener on Wednesday night, falling 124-109.
Maxey led the way, scoring a deeply inefficient 25 points on 10-of-31 shooting from the field (2-of-9 from 3-point range) and 3-of-4 shooting from the foul line, while also grabbing six rebounds, passing for three assists, swiping a steal, and blocking one shot. Several of the Sixers' other newly signed free-agent additions also had solid first nights with the team.
Center Andre Drummond, making his return to Philadelphia this season after a two-year stint with the Chicago Bulls, scored 10 points and grabbed 13 rebounds while starting for Embiid. Combo forward Caleb Martin, who surprisingly came off the bench for the Sixers, scored 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting and grabbed nine rebounds.
Team France Olympics standout Guerschon Yabusele, inked to a veteran's minimum deal after spending years away from the NBA, scored 10 points on 4-of-8 shooting from the field (1-of-4 from long range) and 1-of-3 shooting from the foul line, pulled down four rebounds, dished out three assists, and swiped three steals.
A six-time All-NBA honoree and a four-time All-Defensive Teamer, George has previously starred for the Indiana Pacers, Oklahoma City Thunder, and most recently the Los Angeles Clippers during his 14 previous seasons in the league. This summer, he inked a four-year, $211.6 million maximum contract to jump ship from L.A.
George, a native of Palmdale, California, revealed after the fact that he had wanted to stick with his hometown team, but negotiations had been slow-rolled to the point that the Fresno State product felt unwanted.
When healthy, George remains a potent two-way regular season force, though he has had issues in big playoff moments — much like his new teammate Embiid. Across 74 regular season games last year for the 51-31 Clippers, George averaged 22.6 points on .471/.413/.907 shooting splits, 5.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.5 steals and 0.5 blocks a night.
Read more: Paul George Felt Insulted by Clippers in Contract Negotiations
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