Doc Rivers Offers Concerning Update on Shake Milton

The Philadelphia 76ers are getting healthier, but their backcourt has taken quite the hit lately. Sixers starting guard Tyrese Maxey was out for a few games as

The Philadelphia 76ers are getting healthier, but their backcourt has taken quite the hit lately. Sixers starting guard Tyrese Maxey was out for a few games as he was in the health and safety protocol.

On the same night Maxey was entered into the protocol, his usual backup Shake Milton suffered a back injury, which has kept him out of the lineup lately.

Nearly two weeks ago, the Sixers hosted the Houston Rockets for the first time this season. Although Milton didn't start in Maxey's absence, the young veteran guard was slated to pick up some significant playing time. In a little over 20 minutes, Milton took a hard fall and injured his back.

After leaving the Monday night matchup, Milton was not cleared to return to the court. According to team officials, Milton was diagnosed with a back contusion. At the time, the severity of his injury wasn't revealed.

The next game, the Sixers ruled Milton out early as they were set to take on the Orlando Magic. Then, he was listed as out on the injury report last Thursday ahead of Philadelphia's matchup against the San Antonio Spurs.

As Milton missed his third-straight outing, it became clear that his injury could keep him off the court for a while. After missing his fourth-straight game on Wednesday against the Charlotte Hornets, Sixers head coach Doc Rivers confirmed that Milton's injury could take some more time to heal up.

On Friday night, as the Sixers prepared to host the Boston Celtics for the first time this year, Rivers offered reporters an update on Milton as he was set to miss his fifth-straight game. "Backs are backs, and it seems like it's pretty significant," Rivers said.

While it seems Milton won't undergo any surgical procedures to fix his issue, Rivers assumes it could be quite a while before the young guard sees the floor again.

"Not surgical, but he's still really struggling," the head coach continued. "So, I don't foresee him back anytime soon. The fact that I probably could beat him in a race today tells me he's a long way away."

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