Turnover Free Tyrese Maxey Passes First Test vs. Bucks
Since Thursday night’s season opener against the Milwaukee Bucks doesn’t qualify as a make-or-break matchup for the Philadelphia 76ers, you could leave the game with some positive takeaways from a Sixers’ perspective. If you were looking forward to seeing the young veteran guard Tyrese Maxey put his playmaking shoes on, then you saw the former Kentucky guard pass his first test of the season.
As expected, the Sixers didn’t compete with James Harden on the floor Thursday night. Although the ten-time All-Star guard made his way back to the team on Wednesday morning after a ten-day absence due to “personal reasons,” the Sixers didn’t want to rush Harden onto the court to begin the season.
Instead, they requested he stay back with the team’s developmental players to continue ramping up for his season debut.
With Harden out of the picture on Thursday night, the ball went into Tyrese Maxey’s hands. Being the Sixers’ primary point guard isn’t anything new for Maxey. Two seasons ago, as a sophomore guard, Maxey was forced into the point guard role in the absence of the disgruntled three-time All-Star Ben Simmons. Prior to Harden’s arrival to the team, Maxey improved his scoring significantly, going from eight points per game to producing 18 points per game. As for assists, those doubled from two to four.
However, the Sixers benefitted from many Harden passing masterclasses throughout the 2022-2023 NBA season. As the three-time NBA scoring champion focused on a pass-first role, Harden dominated in the playmaking department, averaging a league-leading 10.7 assists per game. So when Maxey took over ball-handling duties to begin the 2023-2024 season, he had some big shoes to fill.
Passing the Test
Maxey’s night got off to a slow start. Going 1-3 from the field and dishing out zero assists while picking up two early fouls, the young guard was yanked from the lineup earlier than expected after falling into early foul trouble.
Oftentimes, players lose confidence and their will to be aggressive when racking up the early fouls. For Maxey, his early mishaps wouldn’t prove to be an issue long-term throughout the night.
In the second quarter, Nick Nurse rolled with Maxey for the entire 12 minutes. The former first-rounder generated 11 points off seven shots and dished out three assists. It was a rather quiet first half by Maxey’s standards, but he turned up the volume in the closing quarters.
“He got off to a super slow start obviously with the foul trouble,” Nick Nurse told reporters after the game. “He was out early, but we ended up being able to play him for pretty much the rest of the game.”
After trailing big in the first half and closing in on Milwaukee’s lead right before the intermission, Maxey came out firing in the third quarter by drilling 50 percent of his shots for nine points. He also generated three assists as the Sixers outscored the Bucks 31-25 before heading into the fourth quarter trailing by three points.
With a potential comeback win in sight, Maxey continued playing aggressively down the stretch in the fourth quarter. He generated five points from the field and was a perfect 4-4 from the charity stripe in his closing minutes. He also added two assists as the Sixers and the Bucks dueled it out in the fourth quarter.
“He stayed aggressive,” Nurse finished. “He didn’t really have it going there for a long stretch, and for him to bounce back and start getting it going with everything, started making some shots, started making some layups, started getting hit a lot when he was driving, so that was good.”
Maxey ended up finishing Thursday’s game with a team-high 31 points. He nearly closed in on a double-double as he racked up eight assists. It was just the tenth time in Maxey’s career he generated at least eight assists in a single game. It was also the fourth time he created that many scoring opportunities for his teammates on the floor without turning the ball over once.
“Me not turning the ball over gives us the maximum shots that we can get, and we’re going to need them,” Maxey said after the game. “Whoever gets the most shots sometimes wins the game, but valuing the ball in the possession is extremely important, not just in the regular season, but down in the line in the playoffs as well. I think that was big for us.”
The Sixers didn’t complete the comeback on Thursday, dropping their first matchup of the year with a 118-117 loss. It’s unclear if Harden will be a reinforcement sometime soon or not, but at least the Sixers can feel comfortable knowing that Maxey’s playmaking and scoring is very much a threat to the opposition — especially against a contender like the Bucks.
