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Nearly 14 months ago, on Jan. 31, 2016, Tiago Splitter played 15 minutes for the Atlanta Hawks, scoring five points in a loss to the Miami Heat. He hasn’t stepped on an NBA court since. 

He underwent hip surgery, missing the rest of the 2015-16 season and the 2016 Olympics, then hurt his hamstring during practice a few weeks before the season was supposed to start, then injured his calf while rehabbing from the hamstring injury. At the trading deadline last month, Splitter was dealt to the Philadelphia 76ers.

Now, Splitter is going down to the Sixers’ D-League team, the Delaware 87ers, as he continues his rehab. Via the Sixers’ press release:

The Philadelphia 76ers today announced that forward Tiago Splitter has been assigned to the Delaware 87ers of the NBA Development League. The assignment is the next step in Splitter’s return to play protocol and will begin with his participation in a full practice with the Sevens.

If he were simply going to continue with rehab and participate in practice, he might as well stay in Philadelphia where they have nicer facilities and accommodations. The 87ers have six regular-season games remaining. Even in the D-League, it would be great to see Splitter back out on the court again after such a long absence.