CAMDEN, N.J. — Sixers head coach Nick Nurse absolutely appreciated a full-strength practice.
Along with Joel Embiid, Paul George participated in all of Friday’s session, which included 5-on-5 scrimmaging.
“It’s really just a normal day at the office practice-wise, which is great,” Nurse said. “It’s just a such good step moving forward, right? That’s also positive. It gives us some more bodies out there. We can move some things around. We can get some subs in, subs out … just more like normal. But certainly a step in the right direction.”
George, the Sixers’ star summer signing, has been out since suffering a left knee bone bruise during an Oct. 14 preseason game against the Hawks.
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“I think at this point, it’s more just cardio,” he said. “Just getting the conditioning ready to go, just so that when I do come back, I’m not subject to any injuries because I’m fatigued or tired. … I had a really good two days of finally being on court, practicing and running hard, being in live action. The knee up to this point feels really good.”
The nine-time All-Star wing had recently been a noticeable presence on the fringes of shootarounds and practices. He ran up and down the Wells Fargo Center’s lower bowl Wednesday morning ahead of the Sixers’ loss that night to the Pistons.
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Though he and Embiid will remain out Saturday night vs. the Grizzlies, George indicated that he’s close to true game shape.
“I’ve been cleared this past week to finally start doing contact stuff,” he said. “Just being in live practices now, getting up and down, getting that wind up. You can’t really simulate that level of cardio, other than playing. So just being thrown in the mix again has helped get my wind up.
“And then just doing sprints, trying to do the extra stuff — running the bleachers, going off to the side of the court and doing sprints up and down. That stuff has helped me get back. But that’s it. That’s the last box I’ve got to check. I’m getting there. I think very soon, that time will be.”
Embiid’s been right there with George for much of the last few weeks, including for some on-court workouts.
“We’ve been rehabbing and building up kind of together in this process. … The time will come,” George said. “As clichéd as his words are, we’ve just got to trust the process of coming back and being prepared and ready to go when that time comes.”
Eventually, George will check off his Sixers debut.
“It has been completely frustrating,” he said, “just from wanting to finally get started with these guys and using these early games to kind of build and find chemistry. ... Since I’ve been out, I’ve still been engaged, still staying locked in with the guys, helping from the sideline, whether it’s in games or in practices. And now, being able to be a full participant in practice, it’s just a next step in that phase.
“I’ve been engaged throughout this whole process, so I don’t feel like I’m behind on anything. I’ve been keeping up with play calling, where I should be, watching multiple spots so that when I am ready to go, I can hit the ground running.”
