Thanks to some pretty unsurprising injury setbacks, the Philadelphia 76ers have gotten off to a tremendously slow start this season. Both Joel Embiid and marquee free agency addition Paul George have already missed a large chunk of the campaign, leaving Tyrese Maxey as the lone star in Philly for the time being.
While Maxey has not been technically alone in this uphill climb with a handful of players helping him out in his daily carry job, the 76ers have undoubtedly been his team this season. While he had a slow start and an injury himself, last season’s Most Improved Player is now making the anticipated strides on his way to genuine superstardom.
Still, the 76ers can do so much more to help bring him closer to the next step. After all, as the only remaining star on the active lineup, defenses have become more attentive to him, and the rest of the roster’s poor play for the most part has not helped him get to an even better groove.
Tyrese Maxey makes subtle demand to 76ers coaching staff
When asked about his thoughts on the increased defensive focus he has received this season with his co-stars out of the picture due to their respective injuries, Maxey also shed light on how he has adjusted since returning from his own injury, explicitly saying that the minutes restriction levied on him “didn’t sit well with him”, pointing to it as a factor for his inefficient shooting.
As much as I can play, I’ll play. I’m trying to do different things, not on game days — I have to scale back a little bit just because I wanna play on the floor when it matters. I’m always gonna give 110 percent effort.
From his comments, it seems like Maxey is making a subtle demand for the 76ers coaching staff to allow him to freely settle into games. While that has already been the case in last few games, it is clear that he is a rhythm player, and manipulating his minutes with such precision and control does not bode well with the way he finds his groove.
Still, Maxey still has a long ways to go to fully get out of his rusty phase and start returning to his usual shooting splits. Right now, he is tallying below-average shooting numbers, though that should improve the moment his co-stars return to the hardwood.
The Philadelphia 76ers, no longer solely reliant on Joel Embiid, will also go where Tyrese Maxey takes them. For better or for worse, it’s also his team now, and there’s nothing left to do but embrace it for the upcoming campaigns.