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A long-awaited return to the court for Paul George will take place on Monday night after senior NBA insider Shams Charania announced that the 35-year-old forward is expected to make his season debut after being cleared from the left knee procedure he underwent in the offseason.
George has only appeared in 41 of the 94 games he's been on the 76ers roster. Injuries have been a problem for him since signing a four-year, $211.58 million deal with Philadelphia in 2024.
So what should the 76ers expect from George in his season debut on Monday? The team had planned to use him at power forward, but recent injuries have raised questions about whether they will stick with that plan or slide him back to his usual small forward spot.
Should Paul George start at power forward or small forward for his season debut?
After the 76ers' usual starting small forward, Kelly Oubre Jr., went down with a knee injury in Friday's loss to the Detroit Pistons, he will be missing Monday against the Los Angeles Clippers.
"With a handful of interesting options at the four, Sixers head coach Nick Nurse could opt to try to give George a stint or two at that spot but predominantly use him as a wing," 76ers insider Adam Aaronson mentioned.
Philadelphia could give the green light to emerging second-year stud Justin Edwards, who's averaging 17.5 points and shooting 75 percent from the field over his past two games. If not, Paul George will slide into the small forward spot, and leave the power forward spot for either Dominick Barlow or Trendon Watford.
Either way, the 76ers' time without some of their top players has revealed that they can rely on Edwards, Barlow, and Watford to help towards winning games for the 76ers.
However, Paul George will most likely receive some sort of minutes restriction in his first game back since March 4.
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