Getty Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers.
Are the Philadelphia 76ers back? That question supposes that the real Sixers were missing, the team we all saw through the first five games was merely an aberration, and Tyrese Maxey’s 44-point score fest is replicable every night for the foreseeable future.
Through the first five games of the season, the Sixers were on the wrong side of just about every team stat. The club was scoring just 107.5 points per night but giving up 111. The Sixers were bringing down just 37.6 rebounds, seven fewer than last year’s crap-nado of a rebounding team. And the transition defense has been historically awful.
And yet strangely, the team’s best game of the season came when their star player sat out. On Friday night, Joel Embiid missed the Sixers’ game with an injury, worthy of a collective gasp from Philadelphia fans given the big man’s rough history. But ahead of Saturday’s matchup against the Chicago Bulls, Embiid was missing from the team’s injury report, meaning he’ll take the court again.
Despite Embiid’s absence, the Sixers fared well against the Toronto Raptors on Friday night.
Tyrese Maxey Steals Show in Raptors Win
With Embiid out, the rest of the Sixers’ lineup stepped up in a huge way. The biggest winner was Tyrese Maxey, who exploded for a career-high 44 points. With Embiid out, Philadelphia rolled out a small-ball starting five, with PJ Tucker starting at the five and De’Anthony Melton starting at small forward.
Not only was the Raptors win Maxey’s best game, but the same is true of Tucker and Tobias Harris. Tucker was a plus-15, while Harris was a plus-12, with both securing five rebounds. With Melton in the starting group, the Sixers were able to add a bit of defensive switchability, which worked masterfully. Toronto’s 90 points on the night was the fewest allowed by the Sixers so far this season.
Head coach Doc Rivers also utilized his bench more in this game, with eight reserves seeing some minutes Friday. Even better, four of those eight saw at least ten minutes. One of the most frustrating problems so far this season has been the Sixers’ reticence to use their newly added depth in any meaningful way. But on Friday, that wasn’t an issue at all.
But the biggest beneficiary was Matisse Thybulle, who had something of a coming-out against Toronto.
Matisse Thybulle Finally Sees Big Minutes for 76ers
Against the Toronto Raptors, Matisse Thybulle finally saw more than garbage-time minutes. In a bench-high 21 minutes, Thybulle managed one steal and two blocks. It was a nice defensive addition to a lineup starved of any perimeter defense.
After the game, Tyrese Maxey showed love to his teammate, according to Sixers’ team reporter Lauren Rosen.
“He’s a professional, man. Every time we play at home, [Lauren] makes a post because Matisse is the first one out there postgame & he’s shooting. Last game, again, he was the first one out there, he went upstairs, shooting. It just shows man, that he cares. He cares about his craft. And he stays ready. He started being Matisse, the Matisse we know and we love. He knocked down some big threes. I let out a big scream of emotion when I passed him the ball, and he shot it and hit it – because I know how hard he works. I know how much he wants it. As a friend, as a brother, I’m proud of him.”
“…I let out a big scream of emotion when I passed him the ball, and he shot it and hit it – because I know how hard he works. I know how much he wants it. As a friend, as a brother, I’m proud of him.” 🥹
-Tyrese Maxey on Matisse Thybulle tonight
(3/3)
If the Sixers can incorporate Thybulle back into the lineup without sacrificing any of its offense, it will be a major boon for the club. As it stands, the team doesn’t have much to lose, considering it’s woeful defense to date.