Tyrese Maxey’s Return to 76ers Unclear After Grizzlies Matchup

After missing two games, the Sixers are still waiting for Tyrese Maxey to clear the concussion protocol.

Avoiding injuries has been a tough task for the Philadelphia 76ers this season. As they battle setbacks with two starters in Joel Embiid and De’Anthony Melton along with a reserve in Robert Covington, the Sixers have been shorthanded for months now.

A lot of the team’s weight has been placed on the shoulders of the first-time All-Star guard, Tyrese Maxey. While Maxey has thrived on a personal note in the absence of some key contributors, the guard suffered a setback of his own recently.

During last Sunday’s game against the Dallas Mavericks, Maxey slipped on the court and hit his head on a defender’s knee. After staying on the floor for a bit, showing clear signs of being in pain, Maxey was helped up and walked back to the locker room area.

It didn’t take long for Maxey to receive clearance to return to the game. As he failed to show any concussion symptoms right away, Maxey decided to return to the game to close out his shift by helping the Sixers secure a victory over the Mavericks.

The veteran guard wasn’t expected to miss any time moving forward. As the Sixers prepared for their Tuesday night matchup against the Brooklyn Nets, the Sixers sent Maxey back to Philadelphia as he started experiencing concussion symptoms.

Maxey missed Tuesday’s game as he was entered into the NBA’s concussion protocol. When the Sixers returned home to face the Memphis Grizzlies the following night, Maxey was once again not with the team.

Before the game, 76ers head coach Nick Nurse issued an update on the guard.

According to Sixers Wire’s Ky Carlin, Maxey is still experiencing mild symptoms, per Nurse. While the Sixers hope to clear him for action soon, Maxey still needs to pass concussion protocol tests before getting cleared.

Philly will get the night off on Thursday as they wrapped up a back-to-back set on Wednesday. The next time they’ll be on the court, they will go toe-to-toe with the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday, March 8. 

Right now, Maxey’s playing status for that matchup is unclear.