Philadelphia 76ers Plan to Limit Josh Richardson vs. Nuggets

PHILADELPHIA, PA -- Nearly three weeks ago, Philadelphia 76ers starting shooting guard Josh Richardson was ruled out for the second half of the matchup against the Kings. Since then, we haven't had an opportunity to see the 26-year-old veteran take the court.

For the last six games, Richardson has been nursing a hamstring injury, which was officially diagnosed as tightness. Typically, players could push through the pain and hope for the best on the court -- but the Sixers' medical staff didn't want to risk it with J-Rich.

It's too early on in the season. Had this injury occurred during the playoffs, the results might've been a bit different. In December, though, the Sixers won't rush players back into the game, risking further setbacks.

The good news for Richardson is that he will return to the court after missing six games. However, just because he's back, it doesn't mean he's going to get a full-time slot in the rotation just yet. With the Denver Nuggets in town on Tuesday, the Sixers are happy to have their entire starting lineup back in action.

Considering Richardson's recent injury history, though, the team is going to take it easy and limit his minutes depending on how the game goes. According to a Sixers spokesperson, Richardson most likely won't play his typical 32 minutes-per-game.

And Sixers' head coach Brett Brown proceeded to confirm that as well. "There will be restrictions on him," Brown said hours before tip-off. "It's fantastic to have him back." Brown wouldn't dig deeper into specifics, estimating the number of minutes for the guard.

But with the way the Sixers have been playing at home without Richardson, they might not need him to put in a full-time shift just yet. Right now, they hope that Richardson can come in, re-establish his groove, and get back into the swing of things while progressing further in a positive direction with his injury.