Getty Tyrese Maxey of the Philadelphia 76ers.
Whatever questions that Philadelphia 76ers star Tyrese Maxey faced after a slow return from injury have been safely put to bed — tucked in, nightlight on, in a sweet hibernation.
Maxey logged another excellent game on Monday night against the Indiana Pacers. He netted 2 points on six-of-nine shooting from three as the Sixers squeezed out a 147-143 win in Indy.
Over his last four games, all starts, Maxey’s averages would make just about any star blush. He’s averaging 26.5 points per game while shooting, wait for it, .603/.577/1.000.
And while the Sixers needed all six of his threes against the Pacers Monday night, basketball writer Wes Goldberg likened Maxey to a luxury sportscar: nice to have, but a real luxury.
“It’ll be hard to beat the Sixers if Harden and Embiid play like this. My only question is if they’ll play like this four out of seven. Also, Tyrese Maxey is a Corvette — you don’t need it, but it’s fun to have it,” Goldberg tweeted.
It’ll be hard to beat the Sixers if Harden and Embiid play like this.
My only question is if they’ll play like this four out of seven.
also Tyrese Maxey is a Corvette — you don’t need it, but it’s fun to have it.
It wasn’t always like this for Maxey this season. After a breakout sophomore season with the Sixers, expectations were sky-high for the guard heading into his third year. But a foot injury derailed a promising start, with his return showing the signs of rust and uneasiness. During a ten-game stretch in January, for instance, Maxey’s shooting was down to 43.8% from the field and just 35% from three.
Fortunately, Maxey’s put those fears in the rearview mirror. And it couldn’t have come at a better time for the Sixers, who have gone 3-1 in games Maxey’s started recently, including wins over the Heat and Bucks.
Defensive Concerns Cropping Up for Sixers
A slightly more concerning trend recently has been Philadelphia’s defense. In the Sixers’ three March games so far, Philadelphia is surrendering a whopping 135.3 points per game (ironically, that’s exactly as many points the offense is averaging over that stretch).
The Sixers entered March with the league’s seventh-best defense, with a rating of 111.5. In March, the Sixers have the NBA‘s third-worst defense, with a rating of 127.4.
Against teams like the Mavericks, who have two offensive dynamos in Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, that’s partially to be expected. But against the likely lottery-bound Pacers? As Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice shared, that’s inexcusable.
“Last Thursday’s shootout with the Dallas Mavericks was pretty bad on that end (defense), but you could at least say that the Mavericks’ stars hit some crazy shots in that one,” Neubeck wrote. “Can’t say the same about Monday’s meeting with the Pacers, which was a glorified layup line for most of the game.”
Is Philadelphia’s defensive woes symptomatic of substituting Maxey into the starting five over the more defensive-oriented De’Anthony Melton? Are we seeing the Sixers’ defense stumble because Matisse Thybulle‘s perimeter defense was exiled to the Pacific Northwest?
Regardless, the Sixers have spent March well adrift of Joel Embiid‘s demand for the league’s best defense.
Harris and Tucker Get Sixers Injury Update
Another potential source of defensive troubles: injuries to PJ Tucker and Tobias Harris. Neither is lighting the world on fire defensively, but both were also integral to the Sixers having the league’s best defense earlier in the season.
According to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer, both Harris and Tucker are slated to return Tuesday night against the Timberwolves.
Both players’ returns will be warmly welcomed, given the T-Wolves matchup is the back-end of a back-to-back.