Solutions to Sixers fourth quarter struggles: Live or die by Maxey
Tyrese Maxey’s motor is unreal. In the last four games, he’s played 165 minutes and only turned the ball over twice. He’s the only active Sixer with breakaway speed. This speed makes him a reliable generator of offense late in games.
The problem with asking Maxey to close out games is that he hasn’t been finishing well at the rim and he doesn’t get fouled. He can probably improve his touch around the rim, but getting the fouls remains out of his control. Late in the Knicks game, the New York defenders mugged him as he went into the lane for a bucket and he didn’t get the call. He’s still too early in his career and does not have the reputation to get key calls late in games.
Maxey represents a good late-game option for the Sixers, but he should not be the primary one. The team should emphasize making the fourth-quarter offense more dynamic and letting Maxey take over when hot.