Thunderous Intentions
Fansided

Injury Report: Paul George undergoes off-season arthroscopic knee surgery

ByAlex Mcewen|
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - APRIL 25: Paul George #13 of the Oklahoma City Thunder speaks with the media during a press conference after the game against the Utah Jazz in Game Five of Round One of the 2018 NBA Playoffs on April 25, 2018 at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Layne Murdoch/NBAE via Getty Images)
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - APRIL 25: Paul George #13 of the Oklahoma City Thunder speaks with the media during a press conference after the game against the Utah Jazz in Game Five of Round One of the 2018 NBA Playoffs on April 25, 2018 at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Layne Murdoch/NBAE via Getty Images)

OKC Thunder starting small forward and free agent to be Paul George unofficially underwent surgery.

Prior to All-Star break, Paul George was on pace to have the best three-point shooting percentage in OKC Thunder history at 43.2 percent. Post All-Star break PG’s percentage plummeted to 32.4 percent, over a 10 percent decline.

In the playoffs, George dealt with a barrage of injuries, notably a hip injury sustained in Game 1. The news George has an off-season procedure should not come  as a surprise, given how banged up he appeared.

Furthermore, during his exit interview, Paul George dropped subtle hints about possibly having a procedure performed:

"I think just getting healthy, getting my body back healthy. A lot of nicks and bruises over the course of the season. That’s first and foremost."

During his exit interview George elaborated on exactly what type of injuries he was dealing with:

"Yeah, I got a couple. I got a couple.The knee, the forearm, the hip. Those have been the biggest things. But kind of everything just healing. Lot of bumps, lot of bruises, but I feel like everybody has. But just being able to address it this summer will help."

Update

At this time it is not yet known precisely what the scope was fixing in his left knee, only that he had an arthroscopic procedure and will miss six to eight weeks.

The two main ways to address an underlying injury is by rehabbing it or having surgery to correct it. Paul George opted for the latter. Props to George for dealing with this issue immediately. The assumption is his medical team along with the Thunder’s medical team probably felt it was best to address the situation as close to season end as possible. The option of waiting would interfere with offseason conditioning and preparation for the 2018-19 campaign. As mentioned above, the recovery time is expected to be six to eight weeks which leaves George ample time to prepare for next season.

Regardless of the specifics of procedure, get well soon PG here’s hoping for a speedy recovery. Paul George joined fellow teammate Alex Abrines on the IL this summer. Last week Abrines underwent sports hernia surgery.

Stats for this post were provided by NBA.com/Stats

Home/Thunder News