NBA All-Star’s Injury Diagnosis Mirrors 76ers’ Tyrese Maxey

Zion Williamson's injury timeline will be something 76ers fans should keep an eye on.

Oct 23, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey (0) in action against the Milwaukee Bucks during the fourth quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Two NBA stars took a notable injury hit this week with similar setbacks. Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey was pulled out of Wednesday’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers early,as he experienced discomfort in his hamstring.

New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson missed his team’s Friday night matchup on the road against the Orlando Magic for the same reason.

According to Sixers officials, Maxey underwent an MRI out West after the Sixers fell short to the Clippers. The testing confirmed that Maxey has a strained right hamstring. He was ruled out of Friday’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers and will miss at least a week of action.

A few days later, Zion Williamson received an MRI on his hamstring and received a similar diagnosis. The All-Star is dealing with a hamstring strain and is expected to be re-evaluated in “the coming weeks,” according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.

New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson suffered a hamstring strain and is out indefinitely. Williamson will be re-evaluated in the coming weeks, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/VKufddHxX0

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 9, 2024

The Sixers won’t be able to confirm Maxey’s official recovery timeline until he goes through his first evaluation post-diagnosis. However, Charania had the same message for Maxey as he did for Williamson—it could be multiple weeks before the Sixers see their star guard return.

The Pelicans and the Sixers have been quite similar in dealing with notable absences and getting off to an undesirable start. Through their first ten games, the Pelicans have won just 30 percent of their outings. Including a loss on Friday night against the Magic, the Pelicans are in the midst of a four-game losing streak. Only the Utah Jazz have a worse record.

The Sixers, on the other hand, had to rely on Maxey a lot through the first few weeks of action. Joel Embiid was off the floor as he stuck to a strict injury management plan. Paul George was nursing a knee injury that occurred during the 2024 preseason.

Maxey’s usage was never higher as he took on a lot of the responsibility for the Sixers early on, playing minutes at a career-high pace. Unfortunately, an injury will take him off the court for an extended period.

Although all players are different in how they heal, Williamson’s recovery will be something to keep an eye on from a Sixers standpoint. With Maxey dealing with the same setback, their recovery timelines could mirror each other.

In the meantime, the Sixers hope to soon lift Paul George’s minutes restriction and begin to utilize Embiid for the first time this year. As Embiid’s technically cleared to play at this point, he’ll be eligible to return to the court next Tuesday when his suspension is lifted.