The Sixers loss on Wednesday to the Raptors continued their recent struggles against their divisional foes north of the border, but of greater consequence than the 107-95 loss was the loss of starting shooting guard Josh Richardson.
Richardson left the game after just four minutes of play with a left hamstring injury, and an MRI on Thursday revealed a strain that will keep him out for at least two to three weeks, per The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
MRI on 76ers guard Josh Richardson showed slight strain of left hamstring and he’s expected to be re-evaluated in two-to-three weeks, league sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 23, 2020
As always, it’s important to note that being re-evaluated in 2-3 weeks does not mean a return at that point, and with the Sixers already dealing with the absence of Joel Embiid this means they are now down two starters for the near future. The timetable for re-evaluation would seem to indicate he likely won’t return until after the All-Star break — as that begins three weeks from today. While going three weeks without Richardson is not ideal, the break being built into the schedule may help them buy a few more days of rest for him to get back to 100 percent before bringing him back into the lineup.
In his absence, the Sixers will likely lean on more minutes from Furkan Korkmaz, as well as Shake Milton who gave them quality minutes against the Raptors after Richardson went out.
