The Philadelphia 76ers did not just lose one game against the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday night –– they may have just lost this season altogether. Tyrese Maxey is now sidelined with a hand injury, and at this point in time, there is no telling if he can still fully recover in time for the playoffs. Sure, he may end up only missing a couple of games, but he will undoubtedly return hobbled.
Of course, no one has any control to any degree over freak accidents. Maxey injured his hand in a collision with Adem Bona while going for a loose ball in the waning minutes of the game. Having said that, that occurrence should finally knock some sense on the 76ers for their abuse of the All-Star guard, who has logged the most minutes in the association this season.
Nick Nurse and the coaching staff has been adamant in keeping Maxey on the floor as much as possible, not giving him a breather even in times when he clearly needs one. He is averaging 38.3 minutes a night, which is simply too much for any player in the modern NBA. If this does not change anytime soon, the 76ers will inevitably be in a world of hurt.
The 76ers are starting to pay for overplaying Tyrese Maxey
Maxey has been missing considerably long stretches of games since last season due to injuries, which makes it all the more baffling that the 76ers have not shied away from overexerting him. Sure, their depth in the backcourt may be shallow now, but even when they still had Jared McCain, Nurse has routinely played him around 40 minutes per contest.
This ample load of court time is clearly taking its toll on Maxey. While it is not the proximate cause of his injury, he is already showing signs of burnout as of late, and this setback will only make it more difficult for him to regain his mojo.
Philadelphia is starting to fall behind in the playoff race, and they simply cannot afford to lose Maxey, given that Joel Embiid and Paul George are already out of commission. Thankfully, he is not expected to be out for long, although that does not function as a license for the coaching staff to keep draining him up to his limit.
Winning is imperative, but the 76ers will be in an even more precarious situation if they keep being stubborn about the way they manage Tyrese Maxey.