76ers' Brown denies benching Carter-Williams, reveals shin injury

After Michael Carter-Williams shot 1-of-9 in the first half Monday and generally played a poor brand of basketball, he spent most of the second half glued to the bench.

It seemed as if Philadelphia 76ers head coach Brett Brown had put his foot down, benching the sophomore when he came out of the game less than five minutes into the third quarter, never to be seen again. As it turns out, that wasn't the case, and the reason could also explain some of Carter-Williams's poor play.

Carter-Williams was removed due to a shin injury, according to Brown, which he suffered against the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday.

It would be hard for the 76ers to make up for any Carter-Williams absence. Though they may not care about wins and losses, he still drives their offense and helps get other players easier touches, dishing 7.7 assists per game to go along with his 15.3 points and 6.2 rebounds. 

He's also one of the team's better defenders, and the team's surprisingly effective defense would take a step back if the reins are turned over to Larry Drew II and some out-of-position shooting guards. The 76ers play again Tuesday, so there's little time for Carter-Williams to rest up, though the team's off until Friday after that.