Tyrese Maxey, 76ers Happy for Return of De’Anthony Melton

Over the last couple of months, the Philadelphia 76ers have dealt with some key absences. The veteran shooting guard De’Anthony Melton has been among them as he battled through a back injury that he suffered in early January.

On Friday night, the Sixers regained Melton’s services in their rotation as expected. When the team prepared for its first game back from the All-Star break, the Sixers weren’t quite ready to trot out Melton against the New York Knicks — but he got the nod to play against the Cleveland Cavaliers on the second night of a back-to-back set.

As expected, Melton felt great about being able to play again.

“Man, I think just from the time waking up, I was just excited finally knowing I’ll be able to suit it up with my teammates and stuff like that,” the guard told reporters. “I felt pretty good. Got the proper stuff that I needed. Mentally I was just wanting to go out there and do whatever I can for my team.”

Being that Melton hasn’t played in quite some time, the Sixers trotted him off the bench for the first time this season. He collected a 17-minute shift. During that time, Melton put up six shots from the field, making one of his twos and drilling a three. By collecting two points as the charity stripe, Melton produced seven points.

“I was just telling him I was so happy seeing him active,” said Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey. “Reaching in, and hacking, and fouling, and doing all the De’Anthony Melton stuff that he does. He looked happy. He looked excited. He looked bouncy. He looked springy. I’m glad we got him for the long haul.”

Melton’s back issues popped up on January 2. After going inactive for three games in a row, he returned on January 10 to take on the Atlanta Hawks. Two games into his return, Melton dealt with a setback, which took him off the floor 18 games in a row.

By avoiding any setbacks in Friday’s win over the Cavs, the Sixers expect to have Melton back long-term, barring any setbacks.