Joel Embiid’s knee injury took a toll on him mentally. Paul George understands.

Paul George knows more than most about the psychological toll injuries have taken on Joel Embiid.

Embiid returned to the court on Sunday afternoon and led the 76ers to a road win over the Chicago Bulls. After scoring 31 points and 12 rebounds, Embiid reiterated that he was struggling with depression. He told ESPN that he did not re-injure his left knee, but acknowledged that it was “extremely annoying” to have missed 17 of the Sixers’ 22 games primarily due to knee swelling.

Given his own list of illnesses, George could give his teammate some advice when it comes to staying mentally healthy.

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“To be honest, it’s something that if you haven’t been through it, you wouldn’t understand it,” George said Thursday after practice. “I think that’s the hardest thing about this game.

“We build ourselves up so much. The media builds us up. Community builds us up. Then you face a hurt that you know is not you. You are not the same, but you are expected to be yourself when you step on this floor. So mentally it’s tough.”

When healthy, Embiid is arguably the most dominant player in the NBA. He was the 2023 league MVP, a two-time scoring champion, a five-time All-NBA selection and a seven-time All-Star.

But Embiid was only able to play in 39 games last season after tearing the meniscus in his left knee on Jan. 30 against the Golden State Warriors. Before that, the 6-foot-1, 280-pound player had one of the most productive individual campaigns in NBA history.

Averaging 34.7 points in 33.6 minutes, Embiid was on pace to join Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlain as the only NBA player since the 1954-55 season to score more points than minutes played. However, his statistics did not count, as a player must take part in at least 70% of his team’s games to be among the league leaders. Therefore, Embiid had to play 58 games in the 82-game regular season for his stats to count.

Before Sunday’s game, Embiid was a shell of the player he was last season. He averaged 19.8 points on 37.9% shooting while making just three of 18 three-pointers. While the standout center moved and shot well against the Bulls, that came after 17 days off. The big unknown is how Embiid’s left knee will respond to three games in six days or four in seven days.

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Meanwhile, George only played in 12 Sixers games because he hyperextended his knee twice and suffered two bone bruises.

Due to their injuries, both players wear bulky supports on their left knee.

“It’s hard to get a handle on the whole thing and figure out how to kind of close the distance from where I was while I’m in this new retooling of everything,” George said. “So I 100% understand where he’s coming from because it’s a fight. It’s stunning. And for him, he was so dominant and can do anything on the floor, when something isn’t there physically, you notice it. But here too, every case is different. Everyone has to find that for themselves.”

George first learned to deal with the psychological side of injury after suffering a compound fracture in his left leg during the U.S. National Team intrasquad scrimmage at UNLV on August 1, 2014. At the time, he was a member of the Indiana Pacers. He missed all but the final six games of the 2014–15 season.

George has also dealt with a number of injuries over the past five seasons as a member of the Los Angeles Clippers.

The nine-time All-Star didn’t make his Clippers debut until November 14, 2019, after missing the first 11 games following shoulder surgery. George missed 127 games during the regular season while playing for his hometown team.

So how did George mentally cope with not being himself after suffering a broken leg, shoulder injuries and a partially torn meniscus?

“You have no choice,” he said. “It is a matter where there is no choice. Your love of the game allows you to be in the mindset of getting better and you will figure it out. You’ll find out. You get to know your body. You learn to adapt.

“It’s just the passion for the game that speaks volumes when it comes to injuries and how you deal with them and overcome them.”

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Facing the Pacers

Embiid and George hope to lead the Sixers (7-15) to their fifth win in six games when they host the Pacers (10-15) at Wells Fargo Center on Friday at 7 p.m. The duo missed the teams’ previous meeting, a 118-114 Sixers overtime win on Oct. 27 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

While the Sixers are thrilled to have Embiid back, they are fully aware that his availability is a fluid situation that depends on how his knee responds.

“I don’t think we can all be happy about him playing a couple games in a row,” coach Nick Nurse said, “or playing one game, right? We can’t get too depressed or distressed if he doesn’t play a few games, right?

“We just have to go out there and get ready. And I give our guys credit (seriously), I’m really proud of how they handled both really well.”