Nick Nurse Makes Tyrese Maxey Statement Before Sixers-Wizards

Sixers head coach Nick Nurse reacts to Tyrese Maxey's recent update.

Nov 2, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers head coach Nick Nurse talks with guard Tyrese Maxey (0) during the second quarter against the Toronto Raptors at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

On Wednesday night, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Washington Wizards battled it out. For the 20th game in a row, the Sixers ruled out Tyrese Maxey.

The Sixers’ decision to rule out Maxey didn’t come as a surprise. After all, it was reported last week that Maxey’s season was over. There wasn’t any confirmation from the team on that front. When Nick Nurse addressed reporters ahead of the team’s matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks last week, he made it clear that such a decision had not been made just yet.

The head coach was still under the impression that Maxey was on a day-to-day basis, working his way back to potentially play during the final stages of the 2024-2025 NBA season.

Feb 24, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey (0) controls the ball during the first quarter against the Chicago Bulls at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

This week, the team finally came to the conclusion that won’t happen. Ahead of Wednesday’s game, the Sixers put out a statement, finally confirming that Maxey was done for the year.

“During his ramp up to return to play, Tyrese Maxey reinjured his sprained right finger, which was confirmed by a recent MRI,” the Sixers announced. “Because of the reinjury and related pain and swelling, he will be unable to play for the rest of the regular season. He is expected to make a full recovery.”

Nick Nurse once again addressed Maxey’s setback after finally finding out that he would call it a season early.

"I’m disappointed for sure," Nurse told reporters via Sixers Wire.

"Again, I thought we were gonna get that thing healed up and get him back and he kinda re-hurt it which I don’t like either at the practice. I keep saying I want these guys to get as healthy as they can as quickly as they can because there’s still work to do on getting better and working on their craft. I was kind of hoping to use some of these games with letting him experiment with even more things. So I’m disappointed, but we’re here and there’s only a few games left anyway, but I’m disappointed."

Maxey’s finger injury has been a concern since February. He initially played through it, but then found himself sidelined after suffering a back sprain in March. The All-Star guard has recovered from the back injury, but he’s still going through a healing process with his finger injury. The Sixers will have to wait until next season to see Maxey in action again.