It’s three steps forward and two steps back for the Philadelphia 76ers this season. After a strong homestand that saw the team rip off eight straight wins, the Sixers are back to slumping on the road, losers of two straight away from Wells Fargo Center.
One of the highlights of this weekend’s play: the return of Tyrese Maxey, who saw his first action since November 18. Maxey’s return was a forgettable one; not only did the Sixers get blown out by the Pelicans, but Philadelphia was a minus-18 when Maxey was on the floor.
After the game, Sixers head coach Doc Rivers demurred about when Maxey’s next start would be, stating “I really don’t know” if Maxey would play again and whether it would be against the Thunder on Saturday, per Justin Grasso of si.com.
Ultimately, Maxey was a scratch against the Thunder, unsurprising after a return that Rivers summed up as “rusty.”
Rivers: ‘You Just Gotta Throw Him In’
In all, Maxey saw just over 18 minutes of action against the Pelicans. His nine points were helpful, though far from the 23 he was averaging before the injury.
The more concerning figure though has to be that plus/minus. Granted, Maxey was generally playing with the bench unit, guys like Georges Niang, Montrezl Harrell, and Shake Milton, none of whom will see their names on any All-Defense ballots any time soon.
But with the game knotted at 24 in the first half, the Pelicans went on a 10-0 run with Maxey and the benchwarmers in the game, a run that effectively killed the strong momentum Philadelphia began the game with.
After the game, Rivers defended his decision to put Maxey in and keep him in during the Zion Williamson-led onslaught.
“I thought he got better as the game went on,” Rivers said. “We used him in 18 minutes. You can see he was rusty when he started, and I thought that kind of affected the whole unit in some ways, but the only way you can bring him back you just gotta throw him in there like we did.”
Maxey has a chance to get revenge against the Pelicans in short order, as Philadelphia hosts the Pelicans on Monday.
Insider Shuts Down Maxey ‘Sixth Man’ Talk
With the Sixers’ guard spot suddenly looking like a strength, some have whispered about Maxey leading the second unit as a Sixth Man when he returns to full action.
But according to Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice, the talk about Maxey being a bench-unit sparkplug needs to stop; the former Kentucky Wildcat is simply too talented.
“[Maxey’s] still shooting nearly 42 percent from three on the year on high volume,” Neubeck wrote. “That shooting combined with a pace no one can match separates him from Melton on offense, and gives the Sixers a dynamic threat who can’t be replicated. Stay the course, young man, and things are going to work out fine.”
Tonight pregame, Doc Rivers presented @TyreseMaxey with his first Community Assist Award.
Wait for the @sixers’ reactions 🥹
Rather than move Maxey to the bench, the Sixers need to figure out how to maintain a defense that ranks second in the league this season with a Maxey-Harden backcourt. Experimenting with more three-guard lineups that feature De’Anthony Melton could be a strong path forward.
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Doc Rivers Offers Cryptic Update on Tyrese Maxey After ‘Rusty’ Sixers Return