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The Philadelphia 76ers sit at 12-12 on the season and are in need of a spark. Luckily, help could be on the way as there was a bright new smiling face on the sidelines at practice on Wednesday. Tyrese Maxey took some steps in the direction of his return to the court by doing some limited work. Doc Rivers revealed to reporters that Maxey has started running (not sprinting) and put some shots up without jumping thus far. He also debuted a new-look hairstyle after his time away from the court.
Rivers also told reporters about what a hard time Maxey has had a hard time staying away from the team during the injury. As he put it, “He literally has been going nuts. Stir crazy is a better word. Calling us, FaceTiming us, ‘I don’t know what to do’. Sit at home and watch TV. I don’t know what to tell you, but at least today, he was so happy because at least he could shoot. He’s young. He’s probably never done this,” per Ky Carlin of SixersWire.
There still is not a concrete target date for Maxey’s return, but these signs of progress are encouraging. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski put it on NBA Today, “I am told he is still on target for that one-month timeline from that November 19th injury…the expectation is he is on course to be back before Christmas.”
Sixers Recent Struggles
After an inspiring stretch of play during the shorthanded stretch, the Sixers have fallen back into some poor habits. James Harden made his return to the court before the matchup with the Rockets but the Sixers suffered a disappointing double-overtime loss.
So far this year the Sixers have played just six names with the trio of Harden, Maxey, and Joel Embiid on the court together and are 2-4 in these matchups. They are 4-5 in the nine games that Maxey has missed since suffering the broken foot against the Bucks.
The lack of time at full strength has been a significant hurdle in the team building the necessary chemistry. Tobias Harris pointed this out following the loss to the Rockets by saying, “Those are our best players and the offense flows through them as well. So we do have to get readjusted and figure out how we continue as a group to be at our best and to be efficient and to continue to put those guys in great positions to do what they do best and that’s score the basketball and make plays for the guys,” per Ky Carlin of SixersWire.
Maxey’s Impact on Team
There are plenty of areas in which the Sixers are missing Maxey’s production. Through the first 15 games of the season, he has averaged 22.9 points, 4.4 assists, and 3.5 rebounds per game which are each career-high marks for the Kentucky product.
While Shake Milton and De’Anthony Melton each deserve a ton of credit for stepping up in Maxey’s absence, it is impossible to replicate his style of play. Maxey’s eye-popping pace, finishing ability, and transition play are vital to the Sixers. His speed stands out, especially on a Sixers team that is severely lacking in this area. This shows up both when taking guys off the dribble to create for himself as well as just putting additional stress on the defense to open things up for others when attacking.
Beyond just his skills on the court, the Sixers are missing the spark of energy that Maxey brings. The team continues to frustrate by coming out flat and losing games that they shouldn’t. While this issue lies deeper than just Maxey, the motor and joy he plays with will make an impact in changing this. Hopefully for his sanity and the sake of the Sixershis return occurs sooner rather than later.
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