76ers vs. Pistons: Are There Any Updates on Tyrese Maxey?

Following a Philadelphia 76ers practice session last week, head coach Doc Rivers addressed the injured guard, Tyrese Maxey.

As Rivers hoped for a big week where he can slip Maxey into one of the team’s practices before the Friday night matchup against the Golden State Warriors, the head coach didn’t inspire much hope for a Maxey return anytime soon following the session.

“He’s nowhere near where we thought. Whatever he has to do, he’s nowhere near it. I would say he’s out at least a couple more weeks. I’m making that up, but I can’t imagine him playing anytime in the next couple of weeks. 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 stop. He may get better in three days, five or six days, but I don’t see that happening, is what I’m saying. This is an uneducated guess, but I just can’t imagine him playing anytime soon.”

While ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reiterated that Maxey was expected to return to the floor before Philadelphia’s Christmas Day matchup in New York, the third-year guard is surely cutting it close.

This week, Maxey was absent for the Sixers’ Monday night matchup against the Toronto Raptors. He was ruled out early ahead of their Wednesday night battle against the Detroit Pistons. Wednesday’s game marked the 15th-straight matchup the young guard missed.

Ahead of the game, Rivers offered a brief update on the guard, which didn’t reveal much change in his recovery since the last time he addressed it.

“Same,” said Rivers when asked about Maxey's recovery. “You know, he’s just working. I don’t think there’s an update. He’s improving, and we will see him at some point. I just don’t know when.”

Wednesday’s game could’ve served as a good opportunity to get Maxey some minutes against a rebuilding Pistons team. Clearly, the rising star’s recovery has slowed down a bit, as he’s exceeded the initial four-week recovery timeline, which was reported by Wojnarowski.

The Sixers have been taking it game-by-game and haven’t set a target date. Therefore, the Sunday afternoon matchup at Madison Square Garden is technically still in play for now. However, Maxey needs to make strides in his recovery over the next few days in order to return against the Knicks.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.