NBA expert gets brutally honest about Philadelphia 76ers after Paul George's latest injury, 'Not a team...'

The Philadelphia 76ers have suffered another injury setback involving star player Paul George before the start of the 2025-26 NBA season. George underwent successful arthroscopic surgery on his left knee to treat an injury sustained during a recent workout. He will begin rehabilitation and be re-evaluated prior to the start of training camp in October 2025.

This injury echoes the previous season, where the 76ers finished with a poor 24-58 record, largely attributed to significant injuries limiting Joel Embiid (19 games played) and Paul George (41 games played) to only a fraction of the season.

While the Eastern Conference appears wide open due to injuries affecting contenders like the Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers, NBA analyst Tim MacMahon expressed strong skepticism about the 76ers' championship aspirations. He cited the team's unreliable health history, particularly concerning Embiid and George, stating "if you want to turn the injuries off on 2k, then we can talk about the Sixers as a contender."

MacMahon further questioned the feasibility of the team developing necessary chemistry, even if healthy. He pointed out the lack of playing time together and the plan to load manage players, stating it would require "microwave chemistry for a deep playoff run that Joel Embiid has never been able to lead," highlighting numerous "ifs."

Although the 76ers drafted VJ Edgecombe with the No. 3 overall pick, MacMahon emphasized that the health of Embiid and George remains paramount. He argued that the team's potential on paper is contingent on both stars staying healthy and the entire roster spending significant time training together to build cohesion.