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The injury bug has not been kind to the Philadelphia 76ers so far this season. Joel Embiid, James Harden, and Tyrese Maxey have each battled foot injuries and missed a significant amount of time. Embiid and Harden have each made their return to the court and helped the Sixers to turn things around in the box scores to move their record to 15-12 on the year. Maxey is expected to be the next, but Doc Rivers gave a concerning update about the young guard.
While speaking to the media at Sixers practice on Thursday, Rivers shut down the growing expectations that Maxey’s return was imminent. As he put it, “He’s nowhere near where we thought.. whatever he has to do he’s nowhere near it. I would say he’s out at least a couple more weeks. I’m making that up but I can’t imagine him playing anytime in the next couple weeks,” per Justin Grasso of Sports Illustrated.
Rivers’ Previous Comments
This is a change from the previous expectations of Maxey as the hope was that he would make a return during this homestand. When speaking to the media before the victory over the Hornets Rivers put it, “He’s doing more, for sure. But I think this week will be a big week for him as far as when he’ll come back.”
He was then asked about what steps needed to be taken for Maxey to be cleared and put it, “Play basketball. I’m totally serious, I’m not joking I mean right now he’s done nothing competitive. (Maxey)’s just running and jumping. I don’t even know if he’s jumping yet. So we obviously aren’t going to put him on the floor until he can play in a pickup game or two-on-two and he’s not been able to do that. So, until he gets to that point he’s going to be out.”
It was also reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski also reported a week ago that the Sixers were targeting a date before Christmas for him to return to the court.
Updated Timeline for Maxey’s Return
Rivers leans on the joke that Doc does not stand for ‘Doctor’ often when asked for injury updates but he did provide some idea of a timeline for Maxey. As he put it following practice per Justin Grasso of Sports Illustrated, “I would say he’s out at least a couple more weeks. I’m making that up, but I can’t imagine him playing anytime in the next couple of weeks. He can shoot, he can run a straight line, but that’s it. We’re just going to be patient. He can sprint straight, he just can’t cut or stop. He may get better in three days, five or six days, but I don’t see that happening, is what I’m saying. This is an uneducated guess, but I just can’t imagine him playing anytime soon.”
The initial injury occurred on November 18th in a matchup with the Milwaukee Bucks. While attacking the basket on a fast break, Maxey rolled his ankle which resulted in a slight fracture in his left foot.
Tomorrow’s matchup with the Warriors, who will be without Steph Curry, will mark the 13th consecutive game missed. In the 15 games before his injury, Maxey averaged 22.9 points, 4.4 assists, and 3.5 rebounds per game. He also is shooting 42.2% from beyond the three-point arc while launching a career-high 6.8 three-pointers per game. The 22-year-old will provide a necessary offensive spark whenever his return does occur and his status will be one to monitor moving forward.
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