Tyrese Maxey Highlights Main Focuses During 76ers’ Rare Break

With a rare in-season break, Tyrese Maxey and the 76ers are hoping to get above .500 for the first time this year when they return to the floor.

It might only be November, but the Philadelphia 76ers were issued a significant break at the start of the 2022-2023 NBA season. After battling in a back-to-back against the Atlanta Hawks and the Utah Jazz over the weekend, the Sixers are off from games from Monday until Friday.

The first two days of the new week were off days for the Sixers. On Wednesday, the team returned to the floor to participate in their first practice session of the week.

“It’s been great,” said Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey. “I mean, you got time to practice, we got time to rest. We got another day of practice before we play on Friday, so it’s been good. I think we’ve managed it pretty well.”

Not one to take a day off, Maxey is seeing the benefits of getting some rest early on in the year. Since the young guard is averaging the most minutes of his career through Philadelphia’s first 14 games, Maxey can focus on improving in ways other than playing live against a team for the time being.

“Rest, watch film, and work,” said Maxey regarding his plans during the short break. “Honestly, that’s the only things I’ve been thinking about. Then you can kind of, like, decompress, honestly. We played 14 games, I think? It’s going quick, and it got crammed a lot.”

Maxey is no stranger to being thrown into tough situations early on in the season. Last year, the young guard was named the Sixers’ starting point guard to replace the disgruntled three-time All-Star Ben Simmons, who wasn’t willing to play for Philadelphia. 

This year, Maxey started the year off as Philadelphia’s two-guard, playing alongside the All-Star playmaker James Harden. Unfortunately, Harden suffered a tendon strain in his right foot, which has him sidelined for a while, leaving Maxey in another difficult personal situation. 

“[The season] got crammed into a small space very fast with James getting hurt, Joel getting hurt, Melt being in and out,” Maxey explained. “Guys have to play extended minutes and put a little more on their plate.”

Being shorthanded is never an ideal situation for the Sixers, but at least the four-day break offers the 76ers time to rest, recover, and re-group. The Sixers didn’t get off to the hottest start this year, but Maxey is hopeful his team’s post-break performance will help them break through.

“Even with the slow start that we had at the beginning of the year, we’re back at .500,” Maxey continued. “Now, we’re looking to get above .500 for the first time this year. Just keep getting better every day, and I think that’s what’s really going on. The chemistry is getting better and better, and I’m proud of the guys.”

The Sixers are set to return to the court on Friday night to face the Milwaukee Bucks for the second time this year. In their first outing against the Bucks, the Sixers came up short 90-88 while at full strength. This time around, the Sixers will be without Harden, leaving Maxey to run the backcourt once again while the Sixers look to pick up a winning record for the first time this year. 

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