Could De’Anthony Melton Return for Sixers’ Series vs. Knicks?

Will De'Anthony Melton return for the Philadelphia 76ers' series against the New York Knicks?

Apr 9, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard De'Anthony Melton (8) drives | Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

The Philadelphia 76ers fired up their first-round series against the New York Knicks last Saturday. Heading into the first two matchups, the Sixers had a few players on the injury report, including Joel Embiid, Robert Covington, and De’Anthony Melton.

The seven-time All-Star center was the only one with a chance to play. Aside from Embiid, the other two players present on the report were listed as out initially.

For Covington, his status was far from a surprise. Considering he hasn’t participated in any team activities since December, it was apparent the veteran wing could be in danger of missing playoff games.

As for Melton, he’s been in and out of the lineup since suffering a back injury halfway through the regular season.

Two weeks ago, Melton returned to the court for the first time in over a month. After checking in for 15 minutes against the Detroit Pistons, Melton looked and felt good physically. In his second game back, he saw the court for just five minutes.

While the decrease in playing time suggested there might’ve been a setback, Sixers head coach Nick Nurse claimed that the flow of the game prevented Melton from seeing the court more.

However, the veteran guard indeed suffered a setback. When the Sixers hosted the Brooklyn Nets for the regular season finale, Melton was downgraded and didn’t play. A few nights later, the Sixers participated in the NBA Play-In Tournament with a matchup against the Miami Heat and once again ruled Melton out.

Saturday’s Game 1 against New York made it three in a row for Melton. Game 2 on Monday was the fourth-straight absence for Melton. While it seemed the guard's availability for the entire first round was in danger, Nick Nurse assured everybody early on that it's too soon to rule Melton out.

“I wouldn’t rule him out for the whole series just yet,” Nurse told reporters. “The series is gonna be long, but he didn’t practice [on Friday], and he’s not playing [on Saturday].”

After the first two games of the series, Melton is officially on pace to make his return. On Wednesday, the Sixers trotted out the veteran guard for his first practice session in weeks. After practice, Melton confirmed he's ready to return to action in Game 3 against the Knicks.

“Yesterday I was able to get up and down and get some live action," he told reporters on Wednesday. "Today, I went through practice, so I’m feeling good. I’m feeling good. I’m ready for the game tomorrow, so we’ll see how it goes.”

During the regular season, Melton made 38 appearances. He averaged 26 minutes on the floor, and started in 33 matchups. While he struggled with his shot, Melton was still productive on both ends of the floor, averaging 11 points, four rebounds, three assists, and two steals.