Some bad news ahead of the Sixers season debut against the New Orleans Pelicans. This morning, Doc Rivers provided an update on guard Shake Milton, and it didn’t sound so good. Milton tweaked his ankle during training camp, but Rivers said it would only be a few days before he returns when first announced.

Following that claim, Rivers has changed course on his expected ETA for the 76ers’ backup guard.

“I don’t know what his status is. I know he’s out. Shake is nowhere near playing yet. He’ll be out for a while.”

That is quite a grim diagnosis, especially due to a lack of details. If it’s a severe sprain, Milton will likely miss the next month or so as he recovers. Losing Shake Milton is a severe blow to the 76ers’ bench. Milton was expected to take over as the starting point guard when Ben Simmons was out, and Tyrese Maxey would work with the bench unit.

Luckily with the return of Simmons, they have some depth, with Maxey still holding the same role. Outside of those two, their only option looks to be Isaiah Joe, who had a tremendous preseason campaign. Furkan Korkmaz started at the point and was surprisingly good, and it could be seen more this season.

Shake Milton will join Grant Riller on the injury list, who is dealing with a torn meniscus. Matisse Thybulle and Tobias Harris had some minor injuries, but nothing looked serious, and they should be good to go this Wednesday.

Mandatory Credit: USA Today