Paul George is officially off the sidelines.
The nine-time All-Star wing joined the Sixers’ starting five Monday night for the first time in the regular season, returning from a left knee bone bruise for the team’s matchup with the Suns. Tyrese Maxey, Kelly Oubre Jr., Caleb Martin and Andre Drummond stayed in the starting lineup.
Kyle Lowry shifted to the bench. Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said Friday that he envisions both Lowry and Eric Gordon playing “15, 18, 20 minutes (per game) as shooters and veteran-type players” when the Sixers are at full strength.
Nurse told reporters pregame in Phoenix that he expected George would play below his normal amount of minutes in his debut. George had been out since injuring his knee during the Sixers’ Oct. 14 preseason game against the Hawks.
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“It has been completely frustrating,” he said following the Sixers’ practice Friday, “just from wanting to finally get started with these guys and using these early games to kind of build and find chemistry … just getting on the same page and getting off to a good start.
“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. … 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.”
Joel Embiid (left knee injury management) missed his sixth consecutive game to begin the season Monday night.
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Without George and Embiid, the Sixers have been among the NBA’s worst teams early this season in several key metrics, including net rating (29th), offensive rating (26th), three-point percentage (29th) and defensive rebounding rate (29th).
Entering Monday's game in Phoenix, the Sixers and Bucks were the only two remaining one-win Eastern Conference teams. The Sixers will hope their big offseason signing has a sizable immediate impact.
