It was a worrying scene for the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday night, as star Paul George injured his knee early in the second quarter.
George did not appear in the second half and was not even seen on the bench, according to reporter Gina Mizell. It was revealed following the game by multiple sources that the nine-time All-Star suffered a left knee hyperextension, which has varying times of recovery.
There are two levels of a hyperextended knee based on the severity of it, according to Cleveland Clinic.
"If your hyperextension didn’t damage anything inside your knee and you don’t need surgery, it should take between a few weeks and a month to recover," the article stated. "If you need surgery to repair more severe injuries it could take a few months before you can resume all your usual activities."
This is the exact reason Philadelphia decided to keep star center Joel Embiid out of the preseason entirely, leading fans to wonder why George wasn't on the same treatment plan.
View the video of George hyperextending his knee below:
Paul George hyperextended his left knee, per @ginamizell
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) October 15, 2024
Prayers 🙏
pic.twitter.com/soUSoKbqaV
Injury analyst for SMART, Jeff Stotts, reported further insight into his view on the hyperextension diagnosis.
"Re: Paul George: The term hyperextension is more of a descriptor of what happened to the knee than an actual diagnosis. Expect more tests to come. Injuries labeled as "hyperextended knee" result in an average time lost of 6.4 days," Stotts posted to X.
Mizell later shared that George had a sleeve on the knee, but was walking and "not too concerned" about the prognosis.
Signs are pointing to the injury falling on the minor side, but nothing is confirmed by the organization yet. Regardless of the severity, it's safe to say this is the last time George will appear in the preseason.
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