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Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey will miss the remainder of the season due to a finger injury, the team announced Wednesday. Maxey has not played since March 3 because of a lower back sprain and a sprained finger on his right hand.
Maxey's agent, Rich Paul, told ESPN's Shams Charania last Thursday that Maxey would be ruled out for the Sixers' remaining games. That night, however, coach Nick Nurse told reporters that "our medical [staff] has just told me he's out for tonight." Maxey proceeded to miss the two games that followed, and now, with only three games left on the schedule, he's officially done.
The statement from the team:
"During his ramp up to return to play, Tyrese Maxey reinjured his sprained right finger, which was confirmed by a recent MRI. 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."
In the 52 games Maxey has played this season, Maxey's numbers look a lot like last year's. He has averaged 26.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 1.8 steals in a league-high 37.7 minutes per game, with a usage rate of 29.3% and a true shooting percentage of 56.2%. He has shot worse from 3-point range, better from midrange and taken a significant step forward defensively.
Coming into 2024-25, though, the Sixers were hoping that Maxey, Joel Embiid and the newly signed Paul George would form a championship-caliber Big 3. That did not happen. Due to an assortment of injuries, Maxey only shared the floor with Embiid for 389 minutes in 16 games and the three of them only played together for 294 minutes in 15 games. They're all done for the year now, and the last time any of them played in a game was March 4. Last Wednesday, the Sixers announced Wednesday that Embiid would have another knee surgery.
The good news: Philadelphia's season has gone so terribly that it will all but certainly finish with the league's fifth-worst record, which would give the team a 63.9% chance of keeping its top-six-protected first-round pick. The Sixers are 23-56, having lost 12 games in a row and 27 of their last 30. With just a few days left in the regular season, they are a full three games below the 26-53 Brooklyn Nets in the standings.
Regardless of what happens with Philly's draft pick, the team needs to put Maxey in a healthier offensive environment going forward. He spent far too much of this season carrying an enormous burden in terms of shot creation and minutes. If the team is relatively healthy in 2025-26, he will be expected to be more efficient. He will also need to sustain -- or, ideally, build on -- his defensive improvement in order to play meaningful minutes alongside promising guard Jared McCain.
Remember McCain? He seemed like a lock for Rookie of the Year before a season-ending knee injury in December. That's the kind of season it has been for the Sixers.
