Philadelphia 76ers: Tyrese Maxey needs to re-find his rhythm

Goodness, has a regular season win ever felt more like a loss than the Philadelphia 76ers‘ overtime victory over the Orlando Magic?

Tell me if you’ve heard this one before; the Sixers looked okay for a few minutes, then fell behind, only to spend the rest of the game clawing back for a chance to come out with the W.

Maybe it’s just logical growing pains of pairing one established superstar with another. Since James Harden came to town, the Sixers have suffered through more than a few dry patches in each game. And yet, more often than not, they pull it out in the end. But when it takes five extra minutes to beat the Magic after losing to Brooklyn by 29, we might have a problem.

What are the Philadelphia 76ers to do about it? Change their rotation? Change their starting five? Fire Doc Rivers mid-game and hand the clipboard back to Dan Burke? The easiest path might be to get Tyrese Maxey back on track, as his game has been alarmingly quiet over the last two contests.

The Philadelphia 76ers need to get Tyrese Maxey going.

There was a time – about a week ago – when Tyrese Maxey looked like the Philadelphia 76ers’ third star.

He averaged 20-plus points over four straight contests, the longest streak of his career, drained open looks from beyond the arc, and most importantly of all, played inspired basketball next to James Harden, the player Philly cashed it all in to acquire at the 2022 trade deadline.

Did his role change? You bet, Maxey went from playing every minute of the game he was in at point guard to having to transition back off of the ball, but he took the challenge in stride and rapidly looked like the team’s third-best player, even above the $180 million man, Tobias Harris.

Life was good, the Sixers looked unstoppable, and fans prepared the outfits for a balmy summer parade down Broad Street.

…at least until the Brooklyn Nets game on March 10th.

In a game where no one played well, Maxey was a non-factor. He only scored four points on seven shots from the field, his lowest mark since Harden arrived, and left the game with single-digit points for the first time since December 28th against the Toronto Raptors.

At the time, this wasn’t the biggest story coming out of an ugly game. Some folks wanted to clown on Philly for dropping an egg on Ben Simmons‘ return to the Wells Fargo Center, while others understandably questioned the way Doc Rivers adjusted to having both of his best players double teamed while three non-shooters waited around for a pass that never came.

If Maxey rebounded against the Orlando Magic, few would even remember his performance versus Brooklyn, or would at least chalk it up to a bad game.

Unfortunately, Maxey didn’t play well in Orlando either.

No, in a team-leading 45 minutes of action, Maxey logged 10 points and five assists while recording 4-10 shots from the field and 1-6 shots from 3. Maxey looked reluctant to shoot in rhythm, did little off the ball to get himself open, and often passed the ball mere moments after it touched his hands instead of trying to turn nothing into something.

Could one bad game have extended into two, and Maxey will be back to his old, one week ago self when the Denver Nuggets take the Wells Fargo Center’s court on Monday night? Or is this the start of a bigger problem?

For all of our sake, let’s hope it’s the former.

Though some initially questioned their fit, over a four-game sample, it’s clear James Harden and Tyrese Maxey can play together. Both are willing to give up a few dribbles to let the other shine, each gets an opportunity to run the offense while the other is on the bench, and Harden’s passing has unlocked a whole new aspect of Maxey’s offensive game that few saw coming. But when the second-year guard simply stands in the corner, passes out of shots, and then struggles on the defensive end of the court, the offense looks beyond disjointed, and everyone suffers as a result.