Sixers' Stauskas day to day with knee contusion
Things have gone from bad to worse for second-year wing Nik Stauskas.
An MRI revealed Tuesday that the Philadelphia 76ers' starting shooting guard has a left knee contusion, according to Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News. Stauskas suffered the injury during the team's loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday.
"It feels like a bruise and it feels like I got kneed there, but I can't pinpoint a specific time when it happened," Stauskas said.
He struggled in his rookie year after being drafted eighth overall by the Sacramento Kings. His minutes fluctuated wildly and he failed to replicate the dead-eye shooting that made him an attractive recruit following two stellar seasons at Michigan.
The Kings cut bait on Stauskas this summer, sending him to the rebuilding Sixers as part of a salary-dump trade. The move afforded the Canadian swingman more opportunities to develop, but he's shooting even worse than last season. This may be tied to the lingering effects of a stress reaction in his right tibia, which sidelined him for most of preseason.
Stauskas is averaging 9.2 points per game on 33.1-percent shooting from the floor and 27.9 percent from deep.
The Sixers, meanwhile, are 0-15 on the year.