Nick Nurse Praises Tyrese Maxey's Playmaking in Preseason Finale vs. Hawks

Nick Nurse praises Tyrese Maxey for un-tapping De'Anthony Melton

On Friday night, the Philadelphia 76ers took the floor in their final preseason game against the Atlanta Hawks. They picked up a 120-106 victory, and there were many standouts. Head coach Nick Nurse was especially pleased with the playmaking performance of one key player. 

Joel Embiid making his season debut was a major story in this game, but it was De'Anthony Melton who ended up stealing the show. The veteran guard erupted for a team-high 29 points, which included six makes from beyond the arc. 

After the game, Nurse was asked what allowed Melton to generate the looks that led to his offensive outburst. He credited Tyrese Maxey for being able to read the floor and make the right plays. 

"Well, I think Tyrese [Maxey] did a really good job of seeing what was open. We kind of came out with a couple adjustments there, they kind of adjusted quickly back, and then we made the next counter read to it," Said Nurse. "Tyrese came off and fired it to him, you know probably, Tyrese probably had 12 assists, about four in a row were to [De’Anthony] Melt[on]. That was just good reading, reading what was there."

Maxey finished the game with a double-double, scoring 15 points and dishing out 12 assists. Being able to make reads and adjust on the fly like he did tonight is a key for him to take the next step. 

Overall, Nurse and the Sixers should be extremely pleased with this playmaking performance from Maxey. With James Harden's availability being uncertain, he is going to be called upon to be a leader on offense as a scorer and facilitator. The important thing for him moving forward will be finding the proper balance.