Philadelphia 76ers star Paul George has yet to make his 2025-26 NBA season debut. The star forward is dealing with left knee surgery recovery, which he underwent in July. George’s knee was also the issue for his disappointing campaign last season. He was limited to 41 games, averaging 16.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists in his first year with the Philly team.
George has received harsh criticism from fans, particularly after his lackluster performance in the previous season. The nine-time All-Star signed a four-year, $212 million contract to join the Sixers during the summer of 2024. He was signed to a maximum deal following his stint with the Los Angeles Clippers came to an end after five seasons.
The fans and media are eagerly awaiting his comeback to the court. All-Star center Joel Embiid, who was limited to 19 games last season, already made his debut. Embiid has played in three games, averaging 16.3 points, five rebounds and 3.7 assists. Now, all that’s left is for George to recover well and return to the lineup.
On Wednesday, NBA insider Jake Fischer gave an optimistic update on Paul George’s potential season debut. According to the insider, there’s a chance that the six-time All-NBA could play in his first game of the year sometime in early November.
“In Philadelphia, there definitely is some positive momentum to my understanding about Paul George making his season debut sometime in the next week plus, sometime in early November,” Fischer explained (10:25).
Fortunately for George, the 76ers’ young core has been productive. The young backcourt of Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe has been the on-court leaders since the season started. Both guards are averaging a combined 59.8 points through the first four games.
Even with their excellent start to the year, having George back in the lineup could make the 76ers serious contenders for the title.
ESPN’s Tim Legler predicts the 76ers fans will turn on Paul George once he performs terribly
Last season wasn’t the best outing for Paul George. Aside from his injury issues, he struggled to make an impact on the floor. George had one of the worst seasons of his career since he became an All-Star.
Throughout last season, he was criticized by fans for his disappointing performance. Every time he had a terrible game, he was the topic among the diehard Philly fans. On Tuesday’s episode of “The Bill Simmons Show,” ESPN’s Tim Legler predicts that the same thing could happen to George once he’s back on the floor and fans aren’t satisfied with his production.
“I can’t imagine,” Legler started. “If this team — I don’t even know when he’s going to play or what their record’s going to be. But if their record’s really good and he finally sees the court and all of a sudden it bogs down and he gives you a 4-for-12.
“It’s gonna be a mutiny. And now what happens is — I’ve seen this… you feel the heaviness being transferred onto the court from the stands.”
Fans are excited to have George back, but they want him to perform better than last season.
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Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen on Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
