Spencer

Hawes

Joe Johnson will also be part of the workout, during which Hawes will try to earn at least a training camp invite. He spent last season in the G League and hasn’t played in the NBA since a forgettable stint with the Bucks and Hornets in 2016-17. There’s no reason to think Hawes will attract fantasy attention.

Elson was brought in as insurance earlier this season but is no longer needed by the team. It could be a sign that the team feels encouraged about Spencer Hawes’ (Achilles) long-term outlook this season.

Hawes won’t return until March 14 at the very earliest, but he’s at least walking around without any pain. “When you’re in the boot, you’re so restricted,” Hawes said. “It’s like one of those deals where if you’re not going forward, you’re going backwards. Now I can do a lot more stuff, get my wind back. I can lift my leg.” Hawes has missed 22 of the last 24 games.

Hawes was ruled out for the next two weeks right after the All-Star break, but he’s hoping to return as soon as possible. Hawes hopes he can participate in basketball drills next week, but his injury has lingered all season and his timetable to recovery remains fluid. Hawes was enjoying a breakout season before going down, averaging 10.5 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.5 blocks.

The Sixers will treat Hawes with extreme caution in his return, and we already know he’s going to be on a strict minutes limit over the next week and a half. Collins’ decision is far from official, but it looks like Hawes will give it a go on Friday.

Hawes confirmed that he came out of Wednesday’s game feeling good, but the Sixers will treat him with kid gloves for the foreseeable future. He could be worth stashing once he gets his legs back under him, but owners must be patient with him in the interim as the Sixers won’t deviate from the plan to limit his workload.

Hawes is hoping to hear back by Wednesday, and an increase in playing time would be another step in the right direction for the center. He had 13 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks in just 24 minutes against the Bobcats on Monday and could be an impact performer down the stretch for owners if he can remain healthy. He comes with a huge medical red flag, but so far Hawes has come out of action unscathed since returning.

Vucevic just hasn’t been able to find his rhythm on the floor this season. We’ll keep an eye on him if Spencer Hawes gets hurt again, but he’ll need to prove his consistency before deserving an add.

The Bobcats are terrible, so owners need to take these results with a little bit of salt, but Hawes showed that he still might have some fantasy fight left in him. Go ahead and give him a long look, but his ability to play 30-plus minutes is a real question mark and it’s fair to wonder if his production will be spotty. From there, he’ll be a huge injury risk to go along with the upside that this line shows.

He will keep his minutes restriction in place for now. Hawes has returned from his Achilles’ tendon injury without any issues, but the team will play it safe with his minutes for the time being. He’s played in less than 30 minutes in every game since his return thus far. Since returning from his injury, Hawes is averaging 8.6 points, 7.1 rebounds and 0.9 blocks.