Paul George is expected to make his season and team debut Monday night when his new club, the Philadelphia 76ers, visit the Phoenix Suns, ESPN reported Sunday.
George, 34, suffered a bone bruise in his left knee during the preseason and sat out the first five games of the regular season, along with fellow Sixers star Joel Embiid, who is recovering from a knee injury of his own.
Without them, the Sixers have tumbled to a 1-4 start. They absorbed a 124-107 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies at home on Saturday and Embiid shoved a columnist who had been critical of his lack of availability.
As for George, the nine-time All-Star forward signed a four-year, $212 million contract to join the 76ers in free agency, following five seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers.
George averaged 22.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 steals over 74 starts last season. In 14 NBA seasons with the Indiana Pacers (2010-17), Oklahoma City Thunder (2017-19) and Clippers, George has put up 20.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.7 steals per game in 867 appearances (819 starts).
The 76ers had not yet published the official injury report for Monday’s game, the start of a three-game road swing that also includes Wednesday’s game at the Clippers, George’s return to his former team. Embiid’s readiness to return was not yet known.