The Philadelphia 76ers head into the offseason with injuries and how to combat them on the mind. Joel Embiid is dealing with his knee issues, and a full recovery is the most crucial factor the Sixers should focus on this summer. Philly can’t afford to go into the 2025-26 season like they entered 2024-25. It was a mess from the start, which is something 76ers’ veteran All-Star Paul George understands. His season was precisely that: a messy one, and it played a role in the Sixers’ derailed campaign. Now that it’s over, George is focused on the summer, where he intends to ramp up his training and preparation for the next season.
76ers’ Paul George Believes in a Return to All-Star Form
Paul George mourns a lost 76ers season, speaks about injuries he didn’t know about it
It was a tough season for George, and as he admitted, one of the toughest of his 15-year NBA career. He played just 41 games this year, which mirrors his injury struggles with the Los Angeles Clippers. In two out of five seasons with LA, he played less than 50 games. Injuries have become part of George’s reality over the past several years, and that hasn’t changed now that he’s a member of the 76ers. His first season in Philly went the opposite of what he expected and hoped for. Unfortunately, as with some teammates, he couldn’t stay on the floor. It led to George eventually being shut down for the season. As for his litany of injuries, George was dealing with things he wasn’t even aware he had. According to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer, George is addressing those problems.
“To be honest, it was one of the toughest seasons for me, just with a lot of adversity on the court, off the court. The injury stuff … was some stuff I didn’t necessarily know I had going on until deep diving and finding out. There was other stuff I didn’t know that was causing my limitations, which was frustrating — not being able to do things I normally could do, and finding out the reason why. Those things are being addressed, so that’s the positive.
“All in all, I’m expecting to ramp up to a great summer and hitting the ground running. So, there shouldn’t be any limitation for me in the future to train and get prepared for this next season… I know what level I can play at when I am healthy, and obviously, it’s a struggle when I’m not healthy.”
Expectations for next year
It’s been confirmed that both Nick Nurse and Daryl Morey will return to their posts for the 2025-26 season. Morey recently stated he would do everything he could to prepare the 76ers for a significantly better season than the one Philly fans just witnessed. That said, a significantly better season relies on the health and availability of the players. Most importantly, it relies on Embiid. Without Embiid, the Sixers are essentially dead in the water. But it helps if George and company are also healthy, and he expects that at least he will be.
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