Seth Curry Likely to Return to Sixers Lineup on Friday vs. Celtics

Will Seth Curry return to the Sixers lineup on Friday?

It's been quite some time since Seth Curry has taken the court for the Philadelphia 76ers. After getting off to a red-hot start to the season, Curry hit a bit of a bump in the road as he rolled his ankle a few weeks ago in the win over the Washington Wizards.

The following night, the Sixers ruled Curry out against the Brooklyn Nets due to ankle soreness. Hours later, the veteran guard then returned a positive COVID-19 test, which forced his entire team into quarantine.

When Curry was ruled out due to COVID-19, a ten-day absence was pretty much guaranteed. The Sixers couldn't put a timetable on his return, though. Although he was cleared for action earlier in the week, the veteran guard was not a part of the Sixers' team practice on Tuesday afternoon.

While he was left off the injury report on Tuesday night ahead of Wednesday's matchup against the Boston Celtics, the Sixers chose to rule Curry out for the matchup due to "post health and safety protocols/reconditioning."

At first, Curry's absence seemed like a setback, but a team source made it clear that a reconditioning period is standard protocol for players returning from COVID-related setbacks. Considering the veteran guard hasn't had the opportunity to get in a gym and ramp up activity in roughly two weeks, the Sixers didn't want to trot Curry out on the floor if he wasn't physically ready.

The good news is at this point, Curry is on track to return in Friday night's rematch against the Celtics. Per the Sixers' injury report on Thursday, Curry is listed as 'Probable' for Friday's matchup. In eight games this year, Curry has averaged 17 points while shooting 59-percent from three. The Sixers have done a serviceable job without him in the lineup as of late, but getting Curry back will still be a significant boost for Philly.

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