Joel Embiid And Paul George Will Both Miss Game 1
The start of a new Sixers era will have to wait. While the team will take the court Wednesday night for their first game of the season, 2 of their biggest stars will not. Both Joel Embiid and Paul George will miss the home opener. Embiid will actually miss the whole week, and Paul George will be evaluated later in the week.
Don’t Be Shocked When Joel Embiid And Paul George Miss Games
We were told from the jump that those 2 would miss games here and there. But for it to start game 1 certainly takes some of the luster out of the Season/Home Opener.
Paul George hurt his knee in a pre-season game. What looked bad at first, wound up just being a bone bruise. So they will take it slow with his recovery, prioritizing his long-term health over 1 game. He could still play this weekend.
As for Embiid, we should get used to this. They told us they would be extra cautious with him. They told us he would not play any back-to-backs. The only goal for him is to be healthy for the playoffs. That might means he misses more games in the regular season. That may be frustrating in the moment. But if it does result in him being healthy in the playoffs for the 1st time, it will be worth it.
That is why they prioritized signing Andre Drummond. Not just because you know he can be a great backup for Embiid, but because you can also trust him to start in his place. You would rather Embiid be out there, but it was a disaster last year when Embiid missed games. Drummond will at least keep things steady.
For now, Tyrese Maxey will carry the team. They paid him, and view him, as another Super Star on the team. He played like one last year, and you saw him blossom in the playoffs, despite the team losing. He will have to do that a lot this season as well.