Philadelphia 76ers: Tyrese Maxey needs to back it up vs. Damian Lillard

Heading into the Philadelphia 76ers‘ first game of the calendar year versus the Atlanta Hawks since… well, you know when, many expected an offense-defense showdown between Trae Young and Matisse Thybulle.

The stage was set to finally shut up the doubters, shut down the speculation, and shut the book on the ugly way the 2020-21 season ended.

While that matchup did occur, and Thybulle showed out as expected, Doc Rivers opted against shadowing Young with his best defensive wing exclusively, instead giving Tyrese Maxey plenty of run versus a shooter still adapting to the new foul rules.

Per NBA Central – I know, I know – Young went 3-9 with Maxey deployed on him in coverage, with the second-year guard also picking up a block and a steal for his efforts. He performed well in coverage, switched effectively with his teammates, and generally made good on many a scout’s projection that he could be a plus-defender at the NBA level.

That, my friends, is the good news. The bad news? Tyrese Maxey is going to have to do it all over again, as the Philadelphia 76ers gear up for the ghost of offseason trades passed, Damian Lillard, on the day after Halloween.

The Philadelphia 76ers need Tyrese Maxey to double-down versus Dame.

As crazy as it may sound if you don’t spend your nights staying up late to watch Pacific Northwest basketball on NBA League Pass – what just me? – Damian Lillard has been playing kind of bad for the Portland Trail Blazers so far this season.

Now granted, some of that has to do with the Blazers just generally being an average NBA team, as their 3-2 record features losses to the Clippers and Sacramento, but a lot of that falls on Lillard’s shoulders too, as his shots aren’t falling at their usual clip from pretty much anywhere on the court.

Okay, okay, maybe Lillard is off to a slow start, but it can’t be that bad. How bad are we talking?

How about 19.2 points and 7.6 assists per game while hitting 37.1 percent of his shots from the field and 26.2 percent of his 3s on 8.2(!) attempts.

Yikes.

To make matters worse, Lillard is only averaging four free throws per game, which would be the fewest attempts of his career if extrapolated out over a full season since he was a rookie back in 2012-13.

Boy, Neil Olshay might actually have to attach a pick to Lillard’s contract to get Daryl Morey to bite on a Ben Simmons trade now (sarcasm).

So what gives? Are the new foul rules affecting Lillard as much as Trae Young, or is he just in a general funk that will eventually pass?

Only time will tell but either way, let’s hope it lasts through their bout against the Philadelphia 76ers, as a big game against Lillard could vault Tyrese Maxey’s confidence #tothemoon.

Remember how being linked to James Harden played a contributing role in Ben Simmons demanding a trade? Well, you don’t think Maxey heard all of the speculation about shipping his services to Toronto and then Portland for Kyle Lowry and Lillard, respectively?

He heard it, and thus far, he’s embraced the challenge of making himself untouchable.

Through the first six games of the 2021-22 NBA season, Maxey has averaged 14.7 points, 3.5 assists, and 3.7 rebounds a game. He’s scored in double digits in all but one of the Sixers’ games and has actually doubled his 3 point shooting attempts per game, even if his shooting percentage isn’t all that much better than as a rookie.

Maxey has looked comfortable running the point in Doc Rivers offense, has become an even more confident finisher around the hoop, and, most importantly of all, has taken strides to become a more consistent defender, even if that broken ankle step back by his college teammate Immanuel Quickley will surely live on forever in the Knicks memesphere.

If Maxey can just do it again in a bout against arguable the best pure point guard in the NBA, he’ll never have to worry about Shake Milton taking his spot in the starting lineup again.

Would the Philadelphia 76ers still trade Tyrese Maxey, Ben Simmons, and a ton more for Damian Lillard if he became available? Yes. Daryl Morey is a certified believer in star power winning championships, and the combination of Lillard and Joel Embiid would certainly fit that bill. But considering the circumstances, it’s hard to feel anything but excited about how Maxey has embraced this challenge and run with it. Now if he can just do it again versus the Portland Trail Blazers, his legend will only continue to grow.