Sixers: Tyrese Maxey should close out the remainder of playoff games

During Doc Rivers’ run as a head coach in the NBA, there have been very few times he’s put much faith in a rookie, especially during the postseason. The last time it happened was with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander when Rivers was the head coach of the Los Angeles Clippers, but the Sixers head coach has another rookie that he can trust these playoffs.

Rivers turned to rookie point guard Tyrese Maxey late in Game 6 against the Atlanta Hawks. Maxey had 16 points, seven rebounds, one assist, one steal, and one block coming off the bench. He also went 5-12 from the field, 1-2 from the 3-point line, and 5-8 from the foul line.

It’s not just the stat line that was impressive, but the fact he hit some timely free throws and ran the offense effectively with Ben Simmons off the ball. There’s a legit case Maxey should be in the end of the game lineup for the Philadelphia 76ers for the rest of the postseason.

The Sixers should have Maxey on the court to finish games for the rest of the playoffs.

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Maxey has a box plus/minus score of plus-12, which led all players in Game 6. As stated above, Maxey was essential in the fourth quarter. He had seven of his 16 points in the fourth along with his lone block and steal of the game. He also hit a timely 3-point to help the 76ers maintain the lead early in the fourth quarter and went 4-6 from the foul line in that quarter as well.

However, what Maxey allowed Philly to do was to play Simmons off the ball and it worked out for the team at the end of the game. I wrote about how he should be a starter this postseason in the past and I spoke about how I feel like he should be a starter next season on The Sixer Sense Podcast. While I don’t think he should start Game 7, he should be with the rest of the starting five.

Having him play point guard slides Simmons to a forward position. It allows the 76ers to keep Simmons on the court without having to worry about “Hack-a-Ben”. If Simmons has the ball in the last two minutes, then the Hawks can continue “Hack-a-Ben”. With Maxey on the floor, it gives the Sixers reliable playmaker and honestly the most reliable one of this postseason coming off their bench to run the offense without sacrificing Simmons’ defense.

That’s going to be key in winning Game 7, as well as making a legit run to the NBA finals. Teams will continue to target Simmons and if the Sixers don’t have another playmaker on the court in crunch time alongside Simmons, then the offense will surely suffer. Rookie Maxey should be that guy that Rivers is willing to trust moving forward.

Next. Rivers shouldn’t shoulder most of the blame. dark