NEW YORK — Two days after his head collided with Derrick Jones Jr.’s leg, Tyrese Maxey has been diagnosed with a mild concussion.
After Maxey was assessed Sunday afternoon in Dallas and deemed good to go, he played the entire fourth quarter of the Sixers’ victory against the Mavericks.
Though Maxey was with his teammates Tuesday morning as the Sixers began shootaround at Barclays Center, he later went back to Philadelphia for further evaluation. And on Tuesday night, the Sixers offered an official diagnosis.
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“It was a delayed, mild concussion,” Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said pregame. “I’m not a doctor, but that’s what they told me. … I guess they didn’t really see the symptoms right away, and then he wakes up the next day and they’re there.”
Nurse indicated that Maxey and the Sixers now must follow the NBA’s concussion policy, which outlines specific steps players need to complete — being symptom-free at rest, increasing exertion under medical supervision, etc. — before they're allowed to return.
Since all concussions are different, there’s no exact initial return-to-play timeline, though the “mild” classification suggests the Sixers are optimistic Maxey will be able to progress smoothly.
“We talked to the league and he does have to clear … I think it’s a four, five-step protocol process,” Nurse said. “I would assume he’s going to be out tomorrow (vs. the Grizzlies). We’re not rushing it. This kind of stuff, you can’t rush, you don’t rush. He’s got to meet all the steps to return to play anyway.”
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Nurse started both Kyle Lowry and Mo Bamba for a third consecutive game Tuesday against the Nets. Veteran guard Cameron Payne came back from an illness and took Maxey's spot in the Sixers' starting five.
As a replacement lead ball handler, Nurse clearly doesn’t mind turning to Lowry.
“I think it always helps, just in general, when you’ve got a guy on the floor that’s going to make the right plays,” Nurse said of the six-time All-Star point guard. “He’s also an incredibly gifted leader and he’s going to influence playing the right way. But he’s already added a bunch of stuff, I think.
“He’s got us much more organized. He’s pretty forceful when he wants a play run a certain way, and he makes sure it gets done. He’s pretty demanding about some other things that I think we’re doing better than a month ago as well. Just a lot of intangibles.”