76ers' Tyrese Maxey is 'Close' to Returning, Won't Face Knicks

Tyrese Maxey is close to returning, according to Doc Rivers.

When the Philadelphia 76ers faced the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night, the Sixers’ third-year guard Tyrese Maxey was ruled out yet again.

As Maxey continues his recovery from a fractured foot, the young guard has missed more than four weeks worth of games. Friday’s matchup against Los Angeles became the 16th game Maxey would miss this season.

Last week, Sixers head coach Doc Rivers mentioned that the team had yet to implement Maxey in a practice session. The head coach said that the young guard could miss a couple more weeks worth of action.

So far, it’s been over one week since Rivers made those comments. On Wednesday, ahead of the Sixers’ matchup against the Detroit Pistons, Rivers discussed Maxey once again. At the time, he made it clear that there wasn’t much to add in terms of an update.

“You know, he’s just working,” said Rivers. “I don’t think there’s an update. He’s improving, and we will see him at some point. I just don’t know when.”

The initially reported timeline from ESPN’s NBA Insider Adrian Wojnarowski was three-to-four weeks. Last Friday marked the fourth week since Maxey’s taken the floor. While Wojnarowski mentioned that Christmas Day was still in play for Maxey’s potential return, the Sixers are now coming up on their December 25 matchup at Madison Square Garden.

Will Maxey take the floor and re-join his teammates this weekend, as speculated? Rivers didn't inspire much hope.

“I don’t have a lot of confidence in that,” Rivers said on Friday. “He’s close, I can tell you that. He’s making great progress and had a great workout yesterday, so he’s close.”

Whenever Maxey returns to the floor, it will be well over a month since he’s played a game of basketball. Therefore, he’ll likely have a minutes restriction and could potentially come off the bench for the Sixers as he gets eased back into the swing of things.

“I see all scenarios with our guys,” said Rivers when asked about the potential of having Maxey come off the bench. “So, when he comes back, we’re not going to throw him right in regardless. Just he’s been out a long time, and it’s a foot injury. It’s not like conditioning. But, we’re open to everything.”

Maxey’s target date for a return remains unclear. The fact that Rivers mentioned the young guard was “close” and didn’t fully rule out a Christmas Day return left Sunday’s matchup in play. However, the Sixers already ruled out the young guard once again. Therefore, his earliest possible return becomes Tuesday against Washington.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.