Sixers' Filip Petrusev Won't Play in NBA Summer League Finale

The Philadelphia 76ers' NBA Summer League squad will be more shorthanded than before during Tuesday afternoon's final game as Serbian big man Filip Petrusev

Justin Grasso | Aug 17, 2021

Sixers' Filip Petrusev Won't Play in NBA Summer League Finale /

The Philadelphia 76ers' NBA Summer League squad will be more shorthanded than before during Tuesday afternoon's final game as Serbian big man Filip Petrusev won't take the court for the fifth and final time this month.

That leaves the Sixers without three starters on Tuesday. When the Sixers' Summer League team debuted last Monday against the Dallas Mavericks, Petrusev, Isaiah Joe, and Tyrese Maxey were all included in the starting lineup.

When Thursday's game against the Atlanta Hawks rolled around, the starting lineup remained the same, and the Sixers improved their record to 2-0 with a hot start. Then when Saturday's matchup against the Boston Celtics came around, things started to change for the Sixers.

Starting point guard Tyrese Maxey was ruled out of Saturday's game and beyond as the second-year first-round pick was cleared to fly out to Texas to host a youth basketball camp. Being that there were just three games remaining on the schedule, the 76ers confirmed Maxey's Summer League debut was complete after the first two matchups.

Without Maxey in the mix, the Sixers took on their first loss against the Celtics on Saturday. Then, they followed up that performance with another loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday night.

The Sixers are set to play their final game on Tuesday afternoon against the Utah Jazz. In addition to Tyrese Maxey, the Sixers will also be without Isaiah Joe, who suffered a knee injury on Sunday, and Petrusev, who left Las Vegas to gear up for next season.

According to a team official, Petrusev departed from Vegas on Monday. The Serbian big man has headed back to Europe to prepare for the coming season. Although Petrusev would've welcomed playing for the Sixers right away, the team's President of Basketball Operations, Daryl Morey, confirmed that Pertrusev would be a stash following the 2021 NBA Draft.

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

Published Aug 17, 2021

JUSTIN GRASSO

Title: Credentialed writer/reporter covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation Email: JustinGrasso32@Gmail.com Location: Philadelphia, PA Expertise: Reporting, insight, and analysis on the Sixers and the NBA Justin Grasso is a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation. Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writer’s Association. Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoNBA