Tyrese Maxey (finger/back sprains) will miss his 12th consecutive contest when the Sixers conclude their six-game road trip on Monday night against the New Orleans Pelicans, according to the team's initial injury report issued on Monday afternoon. The full report, including several other key Sixers contributors -- one of which being Quentin Grimes, who is listed as OUT due to rest:
Maxey suffered a back sprain on March 3 and has not played since. Many would argue that there is no reason for Maxey, who had already been playing through a finger sprain which negatively impacted his jump-shooting, to return at this juncture. As the Sixers prioritize the development of unproven talent and hope to hang onto their top-six-protected first-round pick, bringing Maxey back for the final few weeks of the season would take opportunities away from those players with unsettled futures while also possibly leading to an extra few wins which would damage the team's chances of keeping that premium draft choice.
Before the Sixers departed for this trip, head coach Nick Nurse said Maxey would likely return to action at some point during the six-game swing. "Tyrese, he should get into this trip at some point," Nurse said on March 14. But that never ended up coming to fruition, as it became more clear as the road trip dragged on that Maxey's return was not imminent.
For what it's worth, Maxey is extremely competitive and may scoff at the idea of being shut down. But it is quite difficult to argue that any other course of action would be more prudent at this juncture.
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