During Monday night's preseason game against the Atlanta Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George suffered a hyperextended left knee. He exited the game in the second quarter and did not come back. Head coach Nick Nurse was upbeat about the injury, adding, "Hopefully everything will be OK, so he will be back with us quickly shortly."

George, who joined the 76ers this offseason on a four-year max contract, was playing in just his second preseason game when the injury occurred. With a little over eight minutes remaining in the second quarter, George was defending Hawks forward Jalen Johnson when his left leg awkwardly planted and bent unnaturally. George exited the floor right away, and he was eventually declared out of the game by the team.

In a postgame interview with The Philadelphia Inquirer, George provided a calm assessment of the situation, saying, “I felt that it hyperextended, and immediately it was like, ‘All right, I need must be removed and examined,' but to be honest, I do not think it is a big deal.

Before the regular season even begins, the 76ers are already being cautious with their best players. Joel Embiid, the team's premier player, will sit out the remainder of the preseason in order to continue working on his conditioning and increasing his workload in preparation for the regular-season opener on October 23 against the Milwaukee Bucks. Because of the aftermath of a left knee injury he had during the previous season, Embiid only appeared in 39 games.

Philadelphia’s front office, led by president of basketball operations Daryl Morey, has signaled a cautious approach with both George and Embiid’s health this season. In an ESPN interview, Morey stated that the team intends to use their players sparingly, especially when it comes to avoiding back-to-back games.

Although Embiid's history of ailments is well-known—he has missed 204 games over the course of eight seasons and missed his first two NBA seasons because of foot problems—George's durability has also been questioned.. His 74-game season last year with the Los Angeles Clippers was his highest total since 2019, after not playing more than 56 games in each of the prior four seasons.

As the Sixers eye a deep postseason run, they will be careful to manage the workload of both George and Embiid to ensure their long-term health.