Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George suffered a left knee hyperextension during the team’s preseason game against the Atlanta Hawks on Monday, the 76ers announced. George will likely have an MRI to determine the severity of the injury.

George, 34, watched his knee give out while blocking Hawks forward Jalen Johnson’s spin move with 8:17 left in the second quarter. George stayed downfield as Philadelphia went the other way, cautiously making his way to the bench during the next stoppage in play.

The 76ers later ruled him out for the second half of the game.

Philadelphia signed George, a nine-time All-Star, to a four-year, $212 million contract in July. George spent the last five seasons of his career with the LA Clippers, where he averaged 23 points, six rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 45.5 percent from the field and hitting 39 .7 percent.

The Clippers reached the playoffs in four of the five years George played with the team.

What this could mean for the 76ers

The severity of George’s hyperextended knee likely won’t be known until Tuesday. But even if the 76ers’ star forward avoids a serious injury, it highlights the risk involved in Philadelphia’s front office pairing him and Joel Embiid as a core. As talented as Embiid and George are and as dynamic as the duo may be, durability must be a major concern.

George missed the second half as the 76ers officially labeled his injury as hyperextension. But with this wrong move and the recent news that Embiid is out for the entire preseason, Philadelphia is already out of luck before the regular season even begins.

Even if George avoids a serious injury, it will likely keep him out for the remainder of pre-season.

This gives Caleb Martin and Kelly Oubre more opportunities to make plays for themselves and others. This puts more pressure on star guard Tyrese Maxey to score, and it could catapult rookie guard Jared McCain into the immediate rotation. — Tony Jones, senior NBA writer

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