Paul George isn’t guaranteed to be ready for opening night after undergoing offseason knee surgery, but he remains confident that he’ll return to the player he used to be once he’s fully healthy, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
George had the procedure in mid-July and still hasn’t been cleared for contact drills. He has been doing individual workouts since Philadelphia opened training camp last week.
“Again, getting healthy, I’m the Paul George that the Sixers went out and signed,” he told Pompey. “I do think I’ve still got a lot of game in me. Playing at a high level, that’s still who I am. I’ve got to get to that point. I do think I’ll be a part of camp, going into it. But I do have a voice and a part in the team to help the young guys. … I plan on being both.”
George was limited to 41 games in his first season with the Sixers after joining the team as a free agent on a four-year, $211.5MM contract. He was hampered by a variety of ailments, beginning with a hyperextended left knee during the preseason. The same injury reoccurred in November, and he also dealt with soreness in his left groin and right ankle, as well as a torn tendon in his left little finger.
Pompey notes that George missed 26 of the team’s first 67 games before being shut down for the season on March 17 after being given injections to the left adductor in his groin and his left knee.
George was expecting to be fully recovered in time for training camp, but he injured his left knee again during an offseason workout.
“I’m not a doctor, but I think just trusting my body, trusting the process, going into this season,” he said. “The team is allowing me to kind of be as (close) to 100% as possible, because that’s what I signed up for. That’s what they signed me for, to come in and be the Paul George that they went out and recruited last year. So for me to do that, I do have to be healthy. That’s really it. Again, I’m putting the work in. I’m putting the time in. I’m seeing the progress. I’m feeling more and more like myself each day.”
George also expressed a willingness to move to power forward if that’s what is best for the team, Pompey adds. It’s a position of need after the Sixers lost Guerschon Yabusele in free agency, and they have other options at the wing in Kelly Oubre Jr., restricted free agent Quentin Grimes and rookie VJ Edgecombe.
George’s main concern is getting fully healed so he can make Philadelphia fans forget about last season.
“Last year was tough,” he said. “One of the toughest seasons I’ve been a part of, not just from a team standpoint, but from a personal standpoint. But from a motivational standpoint, it can’t get worse than last year, right? That was a rock-bottom kind of season. I think it was a disappointment, personally, for myself, and obviously for the fans here. But I do think there’s a lot to look forward to.”