The Philadelphia 76ers are down 2-0 to the New York Knicks, and the franchise deserves all the blame for Tyrese Maxey’s struggles. No player averaged more than Maxey’s 38.0 minutes per game during the regular season, and he sat for just 72 seconds on Tuesday night. The Sixers need him on the floor, but they can’t play him to the point of exhaustion. Maxey has to be their superstar with Joel Embiid out. It is on head coach Nick Nurse and his staff to put the guard in positions to succeed.
Maxey looked like an unquestioned superstar in the first round upset over the Celtics, including a 30-point Game 7 masterpiece. The Sixers know he is special, but the franchise is forgetting how unforgiving the playoffs are.
Philadelphia has played six times in the last 13 days. There has been only one day of rest between games since Game 3 of the Celtics series. These are the highest leverage contests. After playing over 2,600 minutes in the regular season, Maxey is gassed by this point.
76ers deserve all the blame as Tyrese Maxey limps to the finish
Fans were worried after Game 1 against the Knicks. Maxey only made three field goal attempts and had just three assists as the Sixers were dominated by New York. They need their star to be better, but he can’t give it if he has nothing left.
The struggles continued in Game 2. He scored 26 points, but it took him 23 shots to reach that total. Maxey was one of six from 3-point range and had six turnovers to his six dimes. Not what Philly needed from their best player.
Being unable to hit jumpers is a sign of tired legs. Maxey running out of gas late was another clue. The Sixers were up by one entering the final quarter and managed just 12 points. Head coach Nick Nurse only played eight players, and Quentin Grimes was the only reserve guard to get run. Philly needed Maxey’s playmaking and ball-handling, so they never took him out.
Nurse was quick to point out that the Sixers lost the 72 seconds he was on the bench by six points, but he failed to realize Philly lost the game because Maxey had nothing left in the fourth.
Nick Nurse, talking about Tyrese Maxey's high minute workload, notes that the Sixers were -6 in the minute and change that Maxey was out of the game.
— Derek Bodner (@DerekBodnerNBA) May 7, 2026
"Those guys are wanting to stay in there. They really are committed to fighting through the game," Nurse says of Maxey and PG.
The 6’2 guard had 19 points in the first half on six of 14 shooting from the field. He produced just seven in the final 24 minutes on three of nine shooting. Knicks fans were quick to credit their defense, but this is on the Sixers. Maxey had nothing left because he didn’t rest.
The 76ers' star was two of six in the fourth quarter. He didn’t get a second of rest and could only muster six points in a quarter where Philly scored 12. They need Maxey, but he had zero gas left in the tank.
The Philadelphia 76ers deserve all the blame for Tyrese Maxey limping to the finish line. Their schedule has been packed, and they played him 41.0 minutes per game in the first round. Nurse never takes him off the floor. The workload is catching up to him when the Sixers need him most. Sadly, it is all the team’s fault.
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