MIAMI — The Philadelphia 76ers welcomed back Joel Embiid from his long injury recovery and that was a big help to the franchise, but there are two other key pieces still missing from the lineup: De’Anthony Melton and Robert Covington.
Melton, a starter for this group, has not played since Feb. 27 due to lumbar spine bone stress. He has played only five games since Dec. 30. It was initially lumbar spine soreness and then he returned on Feb. 23 and played three games before leaving on Feb. 27 in a loss to the Boston Celtics.
Covington has not played since Dec. 30 due to a left knee bone bruise.
The Sixers haven’t ruled them out for the season just yet, but when considering how little time is left, it may come to that.
“I think we’re still trying with both of them, right?” coach Nick Nurse. “I think we’re still trying. I think they’re getting on the court. That’s always a good sign so I think they’re still a little ways away. I think there’s some—once you get on the court and go through some stuff—there’s always some time that needs to pass and they gotta play against live competition, all that kind of stuff, so we’re trying. I don’t think we’ll rule them out unless we absolutely have to for good, but we’ll see.”
Melton and Covington have to be able to overcome some obstacles before they can make their return to the floor. Obstacles such as getting over the swelling and getting over some pain in order to return, but with time running out on the season, one has to wonder if they will be able to make that return.
“For sure,” Nurse added. “I think they’re just trying to get better and see if they are better, if they can tolerate things, if the injury reoccurs, get some swelling, or whatever the case may be. It’s two different things kind of. So yeah, that’d be the case.”
Melton will be a free agent in the offseason and he was having a terrific season before the injury. He was averaging 11.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.1 assists along with 1.6 steals per game. He is a guy who can contribute on both ends of the floor and it’s tough to see that his season could end with him sidelined due to a back injury.
“He was a starter for us, right?” Nurse said of Melton. “You know? He was a starter for us. He started a lot of games a year ago. He was a very good defensive player. He can make the open shot, like you said, he makes good plays and makes good reads on the defensive end, and he’s an experienced guy.”
It remains to be seen whether Melton and Covington will be able to return for Philadelphia.
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