Philadelphia 76ers: Tyrese Maxey is making a strong push for playing time

At the beginning of January, there wasn’t a hotter name in Philadelphia 76ers circles than Tyrese Maxey.

His playing style was electric, his energy was contagious, and he was the proud owner of a 39 point game in a contest that will forever go down fondly in the memories of fans as the “Seven Sixers game.” “Maxeymania” was so strong among the fans and front office that reports came out that the Sixers were hesitant to include the 20-year-old Kentucky guard in a package alongside Ben Simmons and Matisse Thybulle for James Harden – assuming, of course, Rafael Stone was even allowed to execute a deal with Daryl Morey after he spurned Tillman Frittata earlier that year.

And then… nothing.

After averaging 11.1 points, 2.1 assists, and 2.4 rebounds 20.4 minutes of action a night, Maxey slowly lost playing time as his squad’s injury/COVID fortunes started to turn. From February through mid-April, Maxey’s stats fell by thoroughly half across the board, and he had the unfortunate distinction of being a DNP in nine separate contests.

Had Maxey been packaged alongside picks and players to go all-in on an All-Star like Kyle Lowry, many would chalk it up to just the cost of doing business, but fortunately, it looks like Morey’s long-game was justified, as the Philadelphia 76ers are getting incredibly encouraging production out of their youngest player just in time for one final playoff push.

Tyrese Maxey’s back and better than ever for the Philadelphia 76ers.

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By defeating the Brooklyn Nets on April 14th, the Philadelphia 76ers secured themselves the tie-breaker should the two squads finish out the regular season with the same record. While the game wasn’t particularly good, as roughly half of Steve Nash’s playoff rotation was out for one reason or another, the outcome was a welcomed one for fans in Philly hoping hard for homecourt advantage through the postseasons.

Why else was said game relevant? It marked the most recent time Tyrese Maxey did not play in a game despite being healthy, and, assuming things continue on as they have been, maybe the final time that will happen all season long.

Since that DNP, Maxey’s stat line has looked nearly identical to his January run and has once again given fans a glimpse of why he was so highly sought after by GMs looking to reboot their franchise with young, ascending prospects.

Maxey’s slowed down his game ever so slightly – which seems like a bad thing but really isn’t – and has been playing with the newfound confidence and, dare I say, maturity of a guard who has been humbled by an extended stay at the end of the bench.

And best of all, Maxey appears to be committed to getting better in whatever way he can. According to Philly Voice’s Kyle Neubeck, Maxey has been playing some low-minute games George Hill since he arrived in Philly and has used the opportunity to soak up knowledge for a player who’s been in the NBA since he was 10 years old.

If Maxey’s recent performances since Hill came to town are of any indication, I’d say so far so good.

Though a four-game sample size can still be statistically anomalous, as it only counts for roughly five percent of the 71 game schedule, Maxey’s improved play has been present across the board in four different games versus four different teams who play defense four different ways. He was able to get points in the paint versus the Golden State Warriors, who lack elite interior defenders, found points springled across the field when facing off against the Phoenix Suns’ reserve guards, and even drained a pair of 3 pointers versus the Milwaukee Bucks, who seemed disinterested in guarding the 20-year-old.

If Maxey can keep these performances up, especially in contests where the Sixers pull out a W, it’ll go a long way to shoring up his confidence and giving Doc Rivers yet another viable sparkplug to insert into games come playoff time to give his team a little extra oomph.

Had Maxey played this well pre-trade deadline, maybe the Sixers wouldn’t have needed to trade for Hill at the deadline, but hey, it’s better late than never.

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Eventually, the Philadelphia 76ers will have to settle on a leaner, meaner rotation for the NBA postseason. They could opt to roll with seven players, eight players, maybe even nine, but no matter how many players they opt to utilize, there will be others who have been fixtures of the regular season will surely see their playing time all but eliminated. But for now, with meaningful games still left to play, Tyrese Maxey has a perfect opportunity to prove his worth and convince the Doc Rivers that he, too, deserves some run when the postseason lights start shining down on the City of Brotherly Love. And why not, right? A little competition never hurt anybody.