CAMDEN, N.J. — De’Anthony Melton, who has been dealing with a back injury that has restricted him to 38 Sixers games and caused him to go in and out of the lineup, practiced on Wednesday. Coach Nick Nurse said he will decide if Melton can play just before the game and is hopeful that Melton will be able to play in Game 3 against the Knicks on Thursday night at Wells Fargo Center.
Melton basically implied that he wouldn’t say he's ready if he couldn't contribute.
“The last time I got injured, I naturally started to doubt myself,” Melton said. “But I try to stay positive about it. I'm taking it day by day and being really focused on it, hoping that I could come back and help my team. I don’t want to be out there playing and not helping my team.”
Melton averaged 11.1 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists this season. The 25-year-old guard could give a boost to the second unit offensively, and he’s another strong defender to use against the Knicks’ group of guards. Melton averaged 7.9 points and 24.9 minutes in 11 playoff games last year.
He has only played 11 games since Christmas. The back-and-forth has been particularly tough – four games in, then three out in early January, before games on Jan. 10 and 12 left him injured for six weeks. He was back for three games in late February, then not again until Game 80. He played barely 20 minutes across two games, then missed the first two playoff games.
Melton could provide additional scoring for a team that really needs it from the backcourt. Buddy Hield has two points in 26 minutes in this series. Kelly Oubre is only 5-for-14 for 14 points in 65 minutes. Melton also brings an enthusiastic presence.
“He has never been discouraged,” Tyrese Maxey said. “He has worked every single day to come back. He hasn’t given up. And as a teammate, all you can do is appreciate something like that. And if he’s able to come back, I think he can change a series.”
Melton acknowledges that the process has not been easy. Recovering after a game or even a challenging practice is still a problem.
But the six-year veteran, in his second season in Philly, believes in the 76ers’ potential. He wants to be a part of achieving that potential.
“I feel like when this team is fully healthy and we get everybody healthy, I feel like we’re the best team in the league,” he said. “I feel like we’ve all felt like that, even from the beginning of the year.”
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While there was a lot of talk about him, Maxey did not let Tuesday’s announcement of the NBA’s Most Improved Player Award affect his down time.
He did, however, stop watching the Game of Thrones episode he was rewatching on his couch after hearing the TNT broadcast, playing in the background, mention him as the winner.
“Once I heard, ‘oh Tyrese Maxey,’ I was like, let me get up, pause the show and do the interview,” Maxey said on Wednesday after 76ers practice at the team facility. “It was great.”
Maxey embodies the award, being the 21st overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft who has gone from bench player to starter to All-Star. He went from 20.3 points, 2.9 rebounds and 3.5 assists last year to 25.9/3.7/6.2 this year in 70 games, on a team that traded away James Harden and coped with Joel Embiid missing more than half of the season.
In addition, Maxey's strong commitment to continuously improve his game matches the spirit of the award, which he expressed in his thankfulness.
"It's very important to me because it's something I advocate for, something I live by," he explained. "It's not fake. It's not something I just started last year. I've been saying that for a long time. My dad has always emphasized it – he always says, proper preparation prevents poor performance. So for me, it really does mean a lot and it's just evidence of the hard work."
"I believe he definitely earned it," Nurse commented on Maxey. "I don't keep close track of who else in the league is competing for those kinds of things. But he definitely had a great year. I think a year ago, we were saying, it would probably be a year for him to step up, and he's certainly done that in a number of ways. He's not done stepping up yet this year."
Maxey expressed gratitude to many people, including the organization for taking a chance on a guard from Kentucky who now appears to be an incredible steal. He acknowledged several of the experienced guards he's played with in Philly.
One of them was James Harden. No matter how difficult Harden could be with others during his time in Philadelphia, that never affected the 2022-23 NBA assists leader's interactions with Maxey.
"He never wanted to interfere with my performance," Maxey said. "He always wanted me to be assertive. And a special mention to him. I'm grateful to him."
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Regarding Embiid's knee, Nurse said, "It's looking good. He's alright."
Move along.
Maxey (illness) is still congested but feeling better. Although Sunday night was tough, he never seriously considered missing Game 2.
