October 14, 2024
Brett Davis/Imagn Images
Paul George left his second preseason contest in a Sixers jersey with a left knee hyperextension.
The Sixers traveled to Atlanta for a preseason exhibition against the Hawks on Monday night, with three games to play this week in preparation for the team's regular season opener on Wednesday, Oct. 23 against the Milwaukee Bucks. Joel Embiid was not suited up, but everybody else was — until the Sixers' newest star went down with an apparent injury at the end of the first half.
Here is what stood out from the Sixers' 104-89 in Atlanta:
• Perhaps the most interesting part of this game came 30 minutes prior to tip-off: the Sixers announced their starting five, and it included Eric Gordon, but not Caleb Martin. Martin was believed to be close to a lock to factor into Sixers head coach Nick Nurse's starting unit. He very well still may, but the fact that Nurse is considering other possibilities strongly enough that he is willing to try them out in preseason games is noteworthy.
The starting five in full Monday night: Tyrese Maxey, Gordon, Kelly Oubre Jr., Paul George and Andre Drummond.
The idea here is fairly simple: George has enough size to defend most power forwards in an era filled with wings at the four — which I wrote about last month when previewing the nine-time All-Star's debut season in Philadelphia — and replacing Martin with Gordon gives George and Maxey considerably more space to thrive on offense. The obvious downside, though, is experiencing a noteworthy defensive downgrade. How strongly Nurse genuinely considers starting Gordon over Martin — or Oubre, for that matter — will be an interesting subplot over the next week and change.
• The first five minutes of this game were disastrous for the Sixers, who trailed 11-3 at the first timeout. The team made just one of its first nine shots while committing four turnovers. Their one made field goal, however, was a gorgeous pull-up three from George:
PG 👌. pic.twitter.com/MXsLZCo6oE
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) October 14, 2024
• The next four minutes or so were much cleaner for the Sixers, who relied on three Maxey buckets and a pair of George two-pointers to get back on track. One of Maxey's made shots was a picture-perfect step-back mid-range jumper; Maxey seems to be placing an emphasis on being more assertive in that area of the floor.
• Nurse brought in three substitutions to close out the opening frame: Kyle Lowry, Martin and Guerschon Yabusele replaced Gordon, George and Drummond. Yabusele continues to look like the clear front-runner for the third-string center spot.
• George returned to open the second quarter, and KJ Martin joined him — replacing Maxey and Oubre — and it underscored the versatility that George offers Nurse and his staff from a lineup perspective: all offseason, it has been anticipated that George would start at small forward. On Monday night, he started the game at power forward, and his second stint of action came as a shooting guard. George is the ultimate portable star. A player of his caliber being able to fit into just about any roster, lineup or schematic context is remarkably impressive.
• It was a hot start to the quarter for the Lowry-George-Martin-Martin-Yabusele unit, which outscored Atlanta 15-9 in just under four minutes. Yabusele kicked things off with yet another three-pointer — he continues to establish himself as a true floor-spacer — and KJ Martin converted an impressive and-one with his left hand.
• Midway through the second quarter, Yabusele saw his first preseason action at the four thus far — though it only lasted for about a minute and a half of play. Will Yabusele's minutes at the five also serve as an audition of sorts to lock up backup power forward minutes? KJ Martin is his strongest competition there, with Ricky Council IV looming as well.
• The Sixers said at halftime that George would not play in the second half without providing a reason. Typically, it would be assumed this was standard preseason rest for a seasoned veteran, but George did appear to suffer some sort of knee pain on a collision with Hawks forward Jalen Johnson late in the second quarter.
Paul George appears to have suffered a knee injury in tonight’s preseason game. pic.twitter.com/iYiOEv68Iv
— SPORTSRADIO 94WIP (@SportsRadioWIP) October 15, 2024
George played 12 minutes in all, totaling eight points, two rebounds, one assist and a steal, shooting 3-5 from the field.
• Drummond continues to be committed to firing away from beyond the arc, at least in the preseason. He tried two more triples today — one early in the game, one midway through the third quarter — and neither was successful. There is no shame in trying during the preseason, but once the regular season starts, Drummond should probably couch the long-range attempts. There is a reason no team has ever asked him to take those shots.
• As the fourth quarter got underway, the Sixers confirmed that George's absence was due to a left knee hyperextension. In the immediate aftermath, it is unclear what the timeline will be on George's return (if he misses time at all). The Sixers return home for an exhibition against the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday and then head to Orlando for a Friday night matchup that concludes their six-game preseason slate. Their regular season opener is on Wednesday, Oct. 23 against the Milwaukee Bucks — and while the Sixers surely hope George is available for that high-profile game, they cannot afford to rush him back for the sake of one October game.
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