New details emerge on potential Paul George return date

 

The LA Clippers have had a fantastic season all things considered, and some good news could be on the way soon for the franchise. Star forward Paul George, who has been out since December 25th, could be on his way back.

Clippers Potential Paul George Return Date

Per Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports on the NBA on TNT broadcast of Clippers-Suns Tuesday night:

“Paul George, who has been sidelines for almost 2 months, is set to have an MRI on his right elbow on February 24th. And if all is clean, sources told me they expect the star to go through approximately a two-week ramp up period. If there are no setbacks, George could return as early as the second week of March.”

This is the first report out there of a potential return date for Paul George, who has been out since December 25th with the torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. George was set to miss three-to-four weeks to rest the elbow and see how it heals. Once those four weeks were up, the Clippers added an additional four weeks before scheduling an MRI on the first day back after the All-Star break, February 24th.

A return in the second week of March would mean Paul George misses approximately 10 weeks with the elbow injury and have about a month until the regular season ends.

Obviously, the Clippers would love to have George back, but the team will continue to play it safe if that’s what they deem necessary.

The Clippers have just one game remaining until the All-Star break, which leaves them with 21 games after the break, by far the fewest in the league. The Clippers are 29-31, sitting in the eighth seed in the Western Conference. They have the 10th easiest remaining strength of schedule, per Tankathon, which sheds a positive light on their rest of season outlook.

The team has also provided no updates on Kawhi Leonard, but reports have claimed that the two-time NBA Finals MVP is ahead in his recovery from ACL surgery and could return at some point in March as well.

In 26 appearances this season, Paul George averaged 24.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 2.0 steals per game. He got off to a fantastic start, which both he and the Clippers thought would be enough for him to notch a spot in the 2022 NBA All-Star Game.