The Sixers have a Paul George problem—one they faced early in the preseason. If you remember, the 9x All-Star hyperextended his left knee in the preseason, causing a bone bruise, and missed the first five games of the regular campaign. Well, this time, the initial update doesn’t provide a return timeline that long. But it’s still worrying.

The knee injury that George suffered in Philly’s losing effort against the Grizzlies will see the 34-year-old sidelined, at the very least, for the next two games. According to Shams Charania, PG has a bone bruise on his left knee and will be re-evaluated on Monday. The ESPN Insider also noted that he “suffered a bone bruise injury in the same knee twice over the last month-plus.”

The unfortunate incident happened in the wake of an encouraging change in the Philly team. For the first time, the ‘City of Brotherly Love’ had every single player of their ‘Big 3’ take the floor together! Of course, it did not have the desired result.

Even so, it was a step in the right direction; until the dreaded second half.

Early in the second quarter, Paul George collided with Desmond Bane, fighting for a rebound. To the shock of the crowd, the collision saw PG-13 come up limping. Needless to say, the team eventually ruled him out of the game, providing the reason as a hyperextended left knee. Furthermore, the MRI revealed that there was no structural damage.

So, that’s one good takeaway from the whole disappointing affair. The Sixers, meanwhile, will be playing the host for the next two games that Paul is reported to miss – the Brooklyn Nets and LA Clippers.

The absence of Paul George will no doubt test the depth of the Sixers

With the loss to the Grizzlies, Philly remains at the bottom of the East with a 2-12 record and a five-game losing streak. This certainly is not an ideal situation for a team that has all the tools to finally clinch a championship. This is a squad that Daryl Morey took extra caution in arranging just so. Yet, their rocky start to the season in a highly competitive league has raised more than just a few eyebrows (and a call to fire Nick Nurse).

And now, with Paul George’s injury update, the Sixers are bound to dig deep. There is no doubt that the franchise was ready to handle the injury concerns that came with the veteran All-Star. However, as things stand, doubts about George’s durability have reignited. Moreover, concerns about inconsistent plays and chemistry issues have also cropped up.

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While it’s a given that his teammates will have to step up in his absence, just how much Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid can help is still up in the air. For one, Maxey is still not completely up to his full strength yet. As for Embiid; although the veteran center had by far his highest total points of the season (35), the 76ers big man had a collision of his own late in the fourth with Jaren Jackson Jr. and was clearly in pain. Hence, his availability for the Nets game in itself is a question mark.

Besides them, Kelly Oubre Jr. has certainly risen as a dependable player off the bench. With Kyle Lowry also out, names like Jared McCain, who’s been an X factor of late, Jeff Dowtin, and Eric Gordon could all see the team leaning on them to pull the Sixers out of the rut.

Philly must now find a way to rally their roster and regain stability, as their season teeters on the brink of slipping away completely.