New Clippers forward Paul George said on Sunday that he won’t suit up for the team during the preseason and is aiming to return to action in November after undergoing surgery on each of his shoulders during the offseason, reports Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com. According to George, he still has a “little ways to go” in his rehab process, though he likes the progress he has made.
“As of now, I’ll be out of October fully, but who knows? We’ll see,” George said. “In the November range is our target date.”
After being hampered by shoulder pain down the stretch for the Thunder last season, the 29-year-old underwent right rotator cuff surgery to repair a partially torn tendon in his shoulder in May. In June, he underwent a procedure on his left shoulder to repair a partially torn labrum.
The Clippers will begin their regular season with a home showdown against the Lakers on October 22 before facing the Warriors, Suns, Hornets, Jazz, and Spurs to close out the month. George appears likely to miss all those games based on his current timetable.
It’s not clear when George might be ready to return in November, but the Clippers’ schedule to open the month is light, with only three games (all at home) between November 1-10. If the star forward is good to go early in the month, he could make his Clippers debut vs. the Jazz (Nov. 3), Bucks (Nov. 6), or Trail Blazers (Nov. 7).
In George’s absence, Kawhi Leonard and Lou Williams figure to carry the scoring load for L.A., while Maurice Harkless, Patrick Patterson, and/or JaMychal Green could see increased minutes in the frontcourt.
Here’s hoping his first game back is against Portland and Dame
They will be cautious and hold him out until November 24th.