With the scoring show that both Tobias Harris and Joel Embiid put on in Game 1 for the Philadelphia 76ers, it can be easy for fans to forget some other players’ contributions. There’s one bench player that made a positive impact in limited minutes.
While both George Hill and Matisse Thybulle would both be good choices, it would actually be rookie Tyrese Maxey. Despite being in and out of the lineup for most of the regular season, he proved in the seven minutes he played in Game 1 that he should continue getting minutes for the remainder of this series.
What Maxey can contribute to the Philadelphia 76ers in this first round matchup.
Prior to the beginning of the playoffs, Christopher Kline of The Sixer Sense made an argument for Maxey getting minutes this postseason and Kline was proven right in the first game. In Game 1, Maxey had three points, which doesn’t sound like a lot, but it’s how he was able to get those three points that makes him so valuable to the Sixers in this series. He created his own shot off the dribble and got an And-1 basket.
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The fact that he can create his own shot at a higher level than just about everyone else on the roster not named Embiid and arguably Harris is important. In the postseason, teams need players that can go out and get their own basketball. The Sixers don’t have too many players that can do that on a consistent basis. I went into more detail about this and Maxey’s importance on The Sixer Sense Podcast’s most recent episode.
In Game 1, Maxey overtook Furkan Korkmaz’s minutes as the sharpshooter came out cold by going 0-3 from deep on wide-open shots. It’s unclear who Maxey would overtake in the future, it could be Korkmaz or even Shake Milton who struggled in game one. Either way, head coach Doc Rivers has to make room in his rotation for the rookie.
Maxey needs to get more minutes for the rest of this first round series against the Wizards. The Philadelphia 76ers need more shot creation and Maxey can provide that for them. If he does, he could be in line for minutes deeper into the playoffs as well.