Philadelphia 76ers rookie V.J. Edgecombe discussed how the team will adjust with Tyrese Maxey sidelined.
The Philadelphia 76ers' Tuesday night win over the Memphis Grizzlies was overpowered by the unfortunate injury update surrounding All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey.
ESPN's Shams Charania reported, "Maxey has been diagnosed with a tendon injury in his right pinkie finger and will be re-evaluated in three weeks." If Maxey misses exactly three weeks, he could return on April 1 to face the Washington Wizards.
Philadelphia is now forced to try and win games without their 'Big Three' of Maxey, Joel Embiid, and Paul George. One player the 76ers will need to step up big time is rookie guard V.J. Edgecombe, who spoke about Maxey's injury after the victory against the Grizzlies.
"You can't replace Tyrese Maxey. He's one of one. You can't replace him at all, but we know he would want us to go out there and just hoop," Edgecombe said, per NBC Sports Philadelphia. "Obviously he's been our best player all year. It hurts for him to go down, but now everyone else has to step up."
Stepping up is exactly what the rest of the 76ers' roster did against Memphis. Guard Cam Payne finished with 32 points, 10 assists, three steals, and two blocks on 90% shooting and 8 of 8 shooting from three-point range.
He was the clear star of the show for Philadelphia, but others also played important roles.
Philadelphia 76ers guards Tyrese Maxey and V.J. Edgecombe. © Bill Streicher-Imagn ImagesForward Kelly Oubre Jr. recorded 30 points and 12 rebounds while guards Edgecombe and Quentin Grimes each tallied more than 20 points.
The 76ers' road to the playoffs appears tougher than ever before. They are the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference, no one is quite sure when Embiid will return, and George cannot come back until near the end of March.
Some would suggest Philadelphia should shut down their stars once again, hoping for a high lottery pick. However, the Oklahoma City Thunder are in control of their first-round pick (top four protected), leaving Edgecombe and company in a rough spot.
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