Paul

George

George was a full participant in Friday’s practice, while Caleb Martin was a partial participant. Both are trending in the right direction ahead of Saturday’s tilt with Detroit, but if they are unable to go, expect Philly to keep rolling with its starting five of Tyrese Maxey, Kelly Oubre, Jared McCain, Guerschon Yabusele and Andre Drummond. Yabusele has been productive in three straight starts and should be rostered in leagues of most sizes. Embiid still has no timeline for recovery, and Saturday will mark his 14th absence in 18 games to kick off the 2024-25 campaign. The Sixers are 3-14 and own the second-worst record in the Association, only one game ahead of the lowly Washington Wizards.

This will be a third straight absence for Embiid and George, while Lowry will miss his fourth straight game. Guerschon Yabusele and Kelly Oubre should continue to start, with Andre Drummond playing a significant role off the bench. KJ Martin logged 26 minutes in their last game, but he isn’t a player to consider streaming. Until Philly can get these stars back in the lineup, Tyrese Maxey and Jared McCain will be trying to keep the team afloat.

George will miss Philly’s games on Friday and Sunday, meaning the next time that he may suit up is on Wednesday against Houston. It may be longer than that, but at minimum, Kelly Oubre Jr. should get two starts in his place.

George injured his knee early in the third quarter, exiting the game and heading to the locker room immediately. He has since been ruled out for the rest of the night. What’s concerning is that this is the same knee George injured during the preseason, resulting in the 76ers wing missing the first five regular season games. Kelly Oubre Jr. is the likely “next man up” if George misses time.

The 76ers attempted 12 free throws on Monday, with George responsible for nine. While Joel Embiid has struggled in his limited time on the court, George is a top-50 player in 9-cat formats. That doesn’t align with his Yahoo ADP (35), but the gap between ADP and current value isn’t significant. With his minutes no longer restricted, George’s production should improve.

George appeared to finally have found his shot after dropping 32 points and eight 3-pointers on Tuesday, but that didn’t carry over into Friday’s game. He was able to somewhat redeem himself by hitting a few shots in the second half, but it wasn’t enough for the 76ers to get a win, and they scored a season-low 86 points. They don’t have another back-to-back until December, which is a great sign for managers that have George rostered. He should be available for their next seven games, which should help him get a rhythm going.

Despite George and Embiid’s bodies responding well after Tuesday’s loss to the Knicks, they will not play against the undefeated Cavaliers. They’re expected to play on Friday, and George will not be under any restrictions regarding playing time. That’s good news for managers who have him rostered, while Embiid managers will have to wait a little longer for his restrictions to be removed.

No surprises here, as both players will sit out the second half of Philly’s Tuesday-Wednesday back-to-back set. Availability for back-to-backs should be a major concern for both players until further notice. With Tyrese Maxey out of action, Jared McCain figures to get the biggest boost in fantasy value.

George and Caleb Martin were the only starters to establish any offensive rhythm in Tuesday’s Emirates NBA Cup defeat. It’s fair to wonder if incorporating Joel Embiid into the lineup had anything to do with that, as this was the big man’s first game of the season. George is providing top 50 fantasy value, but the availability concerns remain. While 76ers coach Nick Nurse said after Tuesday’s game that George’s status for Wednesday’s game against Cleveland has not been determined, fantasy managers should assume that he will not play.

George struggled against the Lakers. He had only nine points on 13 shots and was 0-of-6 from behind the 3-point line. George only attempted two free throws, though he excelled in a playmaking role with eight assists and no turnovers. He was -4 in 25 minutes in the 10-point loss. The Sixers get a chance to bounce back against the Hornets on Sunday.