ORLANDO, Fla. -- The problem for the shooting guard isn’t the act of shooting, it is other motions that come with the game.
Nik Stauskas missed his third straight game on Wednesday against the Magic with a left shoulder contusion that he suffered last Thursday facing the Bulls. He hoped to return to action in Orlando, but after running through sets on Tuesday he realized he was not ready to go. Stauskas didn’t want to suit up if he couldn’t compete at full strength.
“I played four-on-four yesterday in practice. That was my first time playing since I hurt it last Thursday,” he said before Wednesday’s game. “Shooting’s really not the problem. I can shoot, I can handle the ball a little bit. It’s just the other things, like fighting through screens, hitting someone in the post, boxing out, using force with that shoulder, it’s still bothering me. I just felt I would be doing the team a disservice if I was out there just because I can’t give 100 percent right now.”
With Stauskas out, head coach Brett Brown went with Monday's starting lineup of Ish Smith, Robert Covington, JaKarr Sampson, Nerlens Noel and Jahlil Okafor against the Magic.
Stauskas doesn’t feel discomfort when he is off the court. Actions such as moving his arm across his body or pushing away cause discomfort. He is going through a treatment regimen of icing, massage therapy, stim therapy, stretching and foam rolling.
The Sixers don’t play again until Saturday at home against the Celtics. Stauskas explained he and the team felt waiting until then would be the best route given the schedule.
“Unfortunately, it just hasn’t gotten better quick enough,” he said. “Saturday is three days away, so hopefully that’s a good amount of time.”
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Stauskas had started the previous five games before the contusion. In addition to his playing time, he had felt like he was in a good flow all around. The injury has interrupted his rhythm, but he hopes to pick up where he left off.
“Not just with minutes, I had a pretty good routine going where I was at home for the last couple of weeks in Philly as far as my workouts go outside of practice, lifting weights and that kind of stuff,” he said. “It sucks when you have something that sets you back a little bit, but it’s part of the game and at the end of the day it’s nothing too serious, so I’m sure I’ll be back and rolling soon.”