76ers vs. Pelicans: How Did Tyrese Maxey Look in First Game Back?

After missing 18 games, Tyrese Maxey picked up some playing time for the 76ers in New Orleans on Friday.

It was hard not to think Philadelphia 76ers’ guard Tyrese Maxey wasn’t putting together a potential All-Star campaign at the beginning of the season. 

In his second season as a full-time starter with the Sixers, Maxey made an early case with his numbers. In 15 games, the third-year veteran averaged 23 points, four assists, and four rebounds while knocking down 42 percent of his threes on seven attempts.

Maxey was one of the Sixers’ most consistent players to begin the season, but a fractured foot sidelined him for more than a month.

After the Sixers’ Tuesday night loss on the road against the Washington Wizards, Maxey missed his 18th straight game. As the team geared up for its Friday night showdown with the West’s top team, the New Orleans Pelicans, Maxey was upgraded to probable one day before the game.

In the hours leading up to the matchup, Maxey got the nod to play.

As expected, Maxey was going to see a minutes restriction on Friday night. Considering the young guard hasn’t played in over a month and only practiced fully once, Maxey was likely to be rusty on Friday night. In addition, he didn’t get the nod to start. It marked the first time Maxey came off the bench since Philadelphia’s December 23 matchup against Atlanta last season.

Maxey checked into Friday’s game for four minutes in the first quarter. During that time, he didn’t get up any shots from the field. His only production came in the rebounding game, as he snagged one board on the defensive end.

After shaking the rust a bit, Maxey generated the Sixers’ first second-quarter points with a long-two. That shot ended up being his only basket in the first half, as he clocked out two minutes into the second quarter.

When the Sixers trotted Maxey back out onto the floor in the third quarter, he picked up another five minutes of action. Maxey drained just one of his four attempts from the field for two more points.

Earlier this season, Maxey was quite productive in the fourth quarter for the Sixers. That ended up being the young guard’s most productive quarter on Friday. Appearing on the court for six minutes, Maxey was a perfect 2-2 from the field, knocking down a three-pointer. He tacked on five points in crunch time.

Overall, Maxey wrapped up his first night back with nine points in 18 minutes. The young guard led the bench in shot attempts, with ten total. He hit on four of his field goal attempts and was successful on one of his three shots from beyond the arc. He was a minus-18 in the Sixers’ 127-116 loss to the Pelicans on Friday night.

Philadelphia will look to bounce back on Saturday with a matchup on the road against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Whether Maxey will play or sit in the back-to-back is unclear at the moment, as Doc Rivers didn’t have a definitive playing status for the guard in New Orleans. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.