Philadelphia 76ers' Kelly Oubre Jr. has a "chance" to return next week, head coach Nick Nurse says
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Philadelphia 76ers forward Kelly Oubre Jr. participated in individual on-court workouts Monday after he suffered a fractured rib during a hit-and-run earlier in November, the team said on Tuesday.
Oubre will be re-evaluated in one week, per the Sixers.
Initially, the Sixers thought Oubre would miss significant time, but head coach Nick Nurse said there "might be a chance" he could return next week.
"I think we're still at a stage where we're not sure how he's going to handle the contact part of it, right?" Nurse said. "I think that's going to determine, like if he handles first time out OK, I think we're really close to that week timeline. But if he doesn't, we're going to push him some more days on that, hopefully only days, not weeks on that."
Oubre has missed the last fives games and has been out since he was struck by a vehicle on Nov. 11 in a hit-and-run at Spruce and Hicks Streets in Center City. He suffered a fractured rib and injuries to his hip and right leg.
Last week, the Philadelphia Police Department said they still haven't recovered any videos or images of the vehicle that struck Oubre so far.
Authorities said there were also no witnesses to the incident. Oubre went home after the collision and sources told CBS News Philadelphia he went to Jefferson Hospital after having trouble breathing.
Sources also said that given Oubre's short time living in Center City, he wasn't exactly sure of the location of the crash when talking with detectives at Jefferson Hospital and that he was also disoriented.
In Oubre's absence, the Sixers have used veterans Robert Covington and Nicolas Batum in the starting lineup.
Oubre signed a one-year contract with the Sixers in the summer and made an impact immediately. He's averaged 16.3 points, 5.1 rebounds and shot 37.8% on 3-pointers in eight games, including five starts.
Philadelphia police are still investigating the incident.
Anyone with information is asked to call Philadelphia Police at 215-686-TIPS.