76ers Make Paul George Announcement Before Nets Game
The Philadelphia 76ers signed Paul George this summer to a four-year, $212 million contract. While the nine-time NBA All-Star in still in his first season with Philadelphia, the partnership could not have started much worse.
In 36 games this season, George is averaging just 16.2 points, which is his fewest since the 2014-15 season when he played just six games due to injury. Additionally, the 76ers have lost six-straight games and enter Saturday's contest against the Brooklyn Nets outside of the Eastern Conference postseason picture.
George's subpar production is a big reason for Philadelphia's poor record, but the 34-year-old forward may be playing hurt.
Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George (8)
© Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images
Ahead of Saturday's game against Brooklyn, the 76ers announced via their injury report that George is available to play, but will be wearing a finger splint on his left hand. George recently opened up about the difficulty he has had performing certain basketball functions due to his injured finger.
“It’s tough," George admitted, per PhillyVoice (h/t Basketball Forever). "The pain pretty much went down, but little things like ball-handling, catching it, going left at moments. Like there’s a couple plays tonight where it bobbled a bit because I got to essentially play like this all game [displays inability to move left pinky]. So, you know, it’s frustrating, but it is what it is.”
George hasn't scored 20 points in a game since Jan. 24 when he turned in 30 points in a win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. Seemingly playing through injury, George will continue wearing a finger splint against Brooklyn on Saturday, per Philadelphia's announcement.
