Doc Rivers still unsure when injured Shake Milton can return to Sixers

Philadelphia 76ers coach Doc Rivers is unsure when injured guard Shake Milton can return to the team.

Philadelphia 76ers guard Shake Milton will miss his 16th straight game on Friday night when the team visits the Dallas Mavericks. He has not played since Jan. 3 when he injured his back and it has been diagnosed as a lower back contusion.

The absence of Milton continues to be a bit of an issue for Philadelphia in the guard department. The Sixers are obviously thin on guards at the moment and that can cause issues with ball-handling and running the offense, but the team has been able to manage

As the Sixers get set to take on the Mavericks, coach Doc Rivers was asked about a timetable for Milton and he said there isn’t one at the moment, but he did offer a bit of progress on him.

“Not yet, no,” Rivers said. “I haven’t seen him, yet. I know he’s running now. That’s something he wasn’t doing earlier, but not any basketball, yet.”

The Sixers will continue to keep tabs on Milton as they move forward, but they will need him to return sooner rather than later. He is an important piece off their bench not only as a ball-handler, but as a scorer and playmaker as well.

This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

[mm-video type=playlist id=01f09kz5ecxq9bp57b player_id=01eqbvq570kgj8vfs7 image=https://sixerswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

[listicle id=58343]

[lawrence-related id=58481,58453,58392]