LA Clippers forward Paul George says he will not play in the pre-season and is targeting a November return from dual offseason shoulder surgeries.
In an interview with SportsCenter on Sunday, before the team’s annual media day, George said he still has “a little ways to go” in his rehabilitation but “I’m where I want to be right now at this point in the season almost starting. I like where the progression is going.”
During his group news conference, George said he’d be a non-contact participant in camp.
“I will be out of the preseason,” George told ESPN. “As of now, I’ll be out of October fully, but who knows? We’ll see. In the November range is our target date.”
The Clippers open the regular season October 22 against the Los Angeles Lakers, then face the Golden State Warriors, Phoenix Suns, Charlotte Hornets, Utah Jazz and San Antonio Spurs. If George indeed misses all of October, that’s at least six games the new-look Clippers would be without one of their two new superstars to start the season.
George had right rotator cuff surgery to repair a partially torn tendon in his right shoulder in May, and a minor surgery to repair a partial tear of his left labrum in June. The Clippers traded for the perennial All-Star in July with the expectation he’d miss training camp and potentially the start of the season as he recovered from his injuries.