December 15, 2022
Prior to Tuesday's win against the Kings, Doc Rivers had expressed his hope to see Maxey back out on the floor for practice later in the week, though he conceded it was not trending in that direction. On Thursday, Rivers delivered a much more pessimistic message to reporters, saying he believes Maxey is still a way's off from returning to the floor.
"Whatever he has to do, he's nowhere near it," Rivers said Thursday. "I would say he's out at least, I don't know, at least a couple more weeks. I'm making that up, but I can't imagine he's playing anytime in the next couple weeks."
While the team has frequently stressed they're okay with where Maxey is at from a recovery perspective, the head coach has consistently poured cold water on the subject when asked what Maxey could do. A quick refresher on the timeline:
November 19th: A Sixers team official says Tyrese Maxey will be reevaluated in approximately two weeks after suffering a small fracture in his left foot. Other reporting indicates Maxey is expected to miss at least three-to-four weeks due to injury.
December 5th: Maxey was able to get into the gym and shoot for the first time as of December 5th.
December 7th: Rivers relays the news on Maxey's first shooting, and notes he was able to run a bit at the facility.
"Today he ran, still not jumping though, which is a concern," Rivers said on the 7th. "Did not sprint, so I don't want to get it—but he did run up and down the floor, he's not been able to do that. I guess the only concerning thing is he's not able to jump yet. That would mean he's a way away, to say the least."
December 13th: Rivers on expectations for Maxey's week ahead: "So far, it hasn't been a big week. But he is shooting, I will say that, I don't want to call it sprinting but he's running. Definitely not a sprint yet. We're hoping maybe by end of the week we can slip him in one of these practices. But right now, it's probably not trending to that."
"He couldn't do any of that last week, so at least he's working and conditioning a little bit too. The thing with lower-body injuries is no conditioning, and that sets you back just as much as anything else."
December 15th: Asked what Maxey can do by reporters, Rivers said the following: "Nothing, is the answer. He can shoot, he can run a straight line, but that's it. We're just going to be patient. He can sprint straight, he just can't cut, or he can't stop. It may get better in three days, five, or six days, but I don't see that is what I'm saying. This is an uneducated guess, but I just can't imagine him playing anytime soon."
Insert the obligatory, "I'm not an actual doctor" quip about Rivers here, but all told, I don't think we've been given reason to panic just yet. We are still short of the month-ish time period most expected Maxey to miss when he was knocked out of the lineup in the first place. Playing it safe with a foot injury is never a bad move in basketball, and considering Maxey's health up to this point, you'd rather make sure this is a one-off thing instead of an injury that causes a domino effect for this season or even his career.
Getting James Harden back in the lineup has helped to juice up the offense as Maxey continues his recovery process, but that's a double-edged sword. Harden is the current NBA leader in minutes per game this season, a scary thought for a guy who didn't look himself physically for basically the full 2021-22 season. Though Harden was a durable, ultra-productive star at his peak, he is coming off of a foot injury of his own and a string of years in his early 30's where he has rarely been truly healthy.
Asked about how his foot was feeling during a run of high-minute performances, Harden gave reporters a shrug and a short answer following their recent win against Charlotte.
"It is what it is, I just got to keep figuring it out," Harden said. "I'm on the court, so that's all that matters."
It's natural to lean on your stars while dealing with injuries to other players, but the Sixers' guards have shown they are more than capable of stepping up and producing in spot starts this year. De'Anthony Melton's on-again, off-again back problems have added another player to worry about, but Rivers and the Sixers need to be careful not to lean too hard on Harden to get through the rest of December, wearing him down long before the stretch of the season where they'll really need him.
Ultimately, the most important thing is Maxey healing properly and having all the time he needs to get right before making a return to the floor. They're not going to win a playoff series in the month of December, and they're fortunate enough to have a friendly-ish, home-heavy schedule as they approach the turn of the calendar. With a lot of teams bunched up in the standings right now, the Sixers may not separate, but they're also unlikely to fall too far back in the race just because Maxey is out for longer.
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