76ers Injury Notes: Tyrese Maxey Concerns, Melton Returns?
The Philadelphia 76ers returned to the practice court in Camden, New Jersey, on Thursday following a day off. After issuing a beatdown to the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday, the Sixers entered their two-day break from games with a third-straight win and a few questions regarding their injury report.
Heading into Tuesday’s game, the Sixers upgraded the veteran wing Danuel House Jr. to probable. House, who’s been battling a foot laceration, was a game-time decision against the Los Angeles Lakers and the Charlotte Hornets. Ultimately, he missed both matchups.
House was on pace to make his return against the Kings on Tuesday night. Not only was he upgraded to probable, but the veteran participated in the Sixers’ morning shootaround and was present for pregame warmups. Surprisingly, Doc Rivers switched his status from probable to doubtful.
Eventually, House was ruled out for the night, marking his third-straight absence.
At practice on Thursday, House was a participant, according to Doc Rivers. Following the session, House continued putting in work by getting shots up. It seems the veteran wing is on pace to make his return to the floor on Friday, barring any setbacks once again.
Other Sixers Notes:
Doc Rivers did not have a promising update regarding Maxey. While the head coach anticipated a “big week” for Maxey, hoping the third-year veteran could return to the floor to play competitive basketball on Thursday, the rising star was not a participant.
“He’s nowhere near where we thought,” said Rivers. “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 of weeks.”
That three-to-four-week timeline looks a lot worse now that Rivers made his “uneducated guess” on Maxey’s timeline. While he did note that he may get better in the coming days, allowing Maxey to ramp up the action and potentially return sometime soon, the fact that he didn’t participate today is quite concerning since there is a lot Maxey has to overcome before getting back out on the floor for a game.
De’Anthony Melton
On Tuesday morning, Melton was not on Philadelphia’s injury report. After shootaround, he was added as he was dealing with back stiffness. Despite being questionable, Rivers ruled out Melton a couple of hours before the Kings matchup.
Back issues have been a common theme for Melton this season. The good news is that Melton’s back problems are minor and haven’t forced him to miss consecutive games. However, that could change on Friday night.
“De’Anthony practiced today,” revealed Rivers. “He looked a little better. So, he’ll probably remain questionable. We didn’t do a lot today. We just have so many guys still out.”
It seems Melton is 50/50 for Friday’s game. If he remains out, the Sixers could roll with Matisse Thybulle in the starting lineup once again.
The veteran sharpshooter hasn’t dealt with any physical setbacks lately, but Doc Rivers revealed that Korkmaz was sent home on Thursday. According to the head coach, Korkmaz is dealing with an illness. His status for Friday’s game remains unclear at this time.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.
