Maxey Feels Great Heading Into Final Preseason Game After Setback
When the Philadelphia 76ers geared up for their preseason matchup against the Brooklyn Nets on Monday, they knew they were going to be without two point guards. As Ben Simmons' holdout continued, the Sixers ruled out the three-time All-Star one day prior to the Nets matchup.
And after rolling his ankle during Sunday's practice, Shake Milton was also held out of Monday's game. All eyes were on Tyrese Maxey as he was slated to make his second start at point guard during the preseason, but then he suffered a setback as well.
With that, the Sixers didn't have Maxey, Simmons, Milton, or the two-way guard Grant Riller available against Brooklyn, leaving Doc Rivers to utilize a point guard by committee headlined by Isaiah Joe and Furkan Korkmaz.
While Joe and Korkmaz will get their shine once again in Friday's matchup against the Detroit Pistons, they won't have to take over starting point guard duty once again as Tyrese Maxey is slated to make his return.
When the Sixers returned to the practice court on Wednesday, Maxey was a full participant. The same went for Thursday's session. "Tyrese is good to go," said Sixers head coach Doc Rivers on Thursday. "He had a great practice today."
After getting up some post-practice shots on Thursday, the always-energetic Tyrese Maxey spoke to a crowd of reporters as he geared up for the fourth and final preseason outing of the offseason. That's when he revealed how he was feeling after dealing with what he considered a minor setback.
"I feel good -- I feel great," Maxey explained in regards to his injury earlier in the week. "It was nothing serious. I feel great -- one-hundred percent. I've been flying up and down the court, and it feels good to get back out there."
As expected, Maxey wasn't listed on the Sixers' Thursday night injury report. While a handful of names were listed, including the other two point guards Milton and Riller, Maxey will be a full-go for Friday's outing in Detroit.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.