76ers’ Injured Starter Sets Target Date for Return

De'Anthony Melton could be back soon.

Several key players in the Philadelphia 76ers’ rotation are injured without return dates in place. The starting guard De’Anthony Melton recently revealed he has a potential return game in mind as a new week approaches for the Sixers.

On Saturday night, the 76ers return home for the first time following a five-game stint on the road. Once again, Melton will remain off the court as he continues recovering from a lumbar spine injury.

The veteran might not have the opportunity to suit up for the Sixers this week, but he recently revealed that next Monday’s matchup at home against the Dallas Mavericks could be his first game back.

“Hopefully, I will probably play in the Monday game,” Melton told The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Keith Pompey earlier this week.

Recently, Melton participated in two workouts and mentioned that he felt “good” physically after knocking off some rust. While it’s going to take some time before Melton can get back to one hundred percent, he should be back as early as next week, barring any setbacks.

The last time Melton appeared on the court with the Sixers was back on January 12, when they faced the Sacramento Kings. The veteran checked in for 25 minutes and struggled from the field by knocking down just 22 percent of his shots. At the time, Melton was competing in just his second game back after a three-game absence.

Back issues are nothing new to Melton. Throughout his first season in Philadelphia last year, the two-way standout had a lingering back injury, which prevented him from playing at times. While his back injury this season is not directly related to last year’s issues, his current setback has caused him to miss consecutive games on multiple occasions.

Following the January 12 win over Sacramento, Melton went inactive against the Houston Rockets on January 15. He’s missed ten games since then and is guaranteed to miss his 11th on Saturday when the Nets come to South Philly.