Key ‘growth areas' for Maxey highlighted again in Sixers' opening-night defeat

Key ‘growth areas' for Maxey highlighted again in Sixers' opening-night defeat originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Sixers head coach Nick Nurse struck a very similar note on Tyrese Maxey after his team’s final game of the 2023-24 season and first game of 2024-25.

“You just can’t keep going in there and getting knocked down. … You’ve got to adjust your game a little bit, go to the slam on the brakes, the baseline fallaway, whatever it is that we need to improve on for next season,” Nurse said following the Sixers’ first-round playoff series defeat to the Knicks.

Maxey went 10 for 31 from the floor and attempted a mere four free throws Wednesday in the Sixers’ opening-night loss to the Bucks without Joel Embiid (left knee injury management) and Paul George (left knee bone bruise).

Again, it was reasonable to highlight both that Maxey didn’t receive anything close to a generous whistle and that he needed better alternatives than exasperation. Nurse laughed when asked what it will take for Maxey to get more foul calls.

“I do not know,” he said. “I think we went through this some last year where he’s driving and it seems like he’s getting bumped pretty hard initially — boom — and then again at the shot. And, for whatever reason, it doesn’t seem like he gets ‘em. Well, we’ve got to adjust to that. I think when you get bumped one, two or three times, you’re probably not going to make it … so you’ve got to try to find another path.

“I don’t have any solution to asking for him to get a few of those bump calls … because I ask for him. I ask. Especially when it seems like similar things are getting called at the other end, you’ve certainly got to ask for him, but I also think you can waste all day. All of us can waste all day wondering, ‘Can he get the calls?’ Or can we figure out another plan of attack?”

Maxey frequently demonstrated his displeasure with the officiating. The 23-year-old believed that he absorbed more than marginal contact on quite a few of his drives.

“It’s more about, for myself, not trying to force it to show them the contact,” Maxey said. “I have a lot of different things in my arsenal. I had a couple (mid-range shots) that I made. I had a couple floaters that I made. Use my entire arsenal. Today I had that mindset of wanting to show that I’m getting fouled, but you can’t play like that.

“You can’t play with that mindset. You have to adapt to the situation, adapt to the game, and that’s what I will do.”

While Maxey has a variety of mid-range tools, that's not yet a major strength of his game. According to Cleaning the Glass, he shot 38.5 percent last season on non-rim two-pointers. That ranked in the 26th percentile among NBA point guards.

“At some point, maybe driving all the way is not the answer tonight, right? As we’ve talked about, we know he’s got a drive game, we know he’s got a deep three, and then you’ve got to use a little bit more in the middle,” Nurse said. “I think that’s one of his growth areas.”

Maxey’s in-between skills can be especially valuable against a sterling drop coverage center like Milwaukee’s Brook Lopez.  He agreed with Nurse’s view that the Sixers generally challenged the 36-year-old big man too much on a night he swatted six shots.

Of course, Maxey’s performance wasn’t adjustment-free. He gave Gary Trent Jr. a firm bump of his own in the second quarter before sinking a 12-foot baseline jumper.

He also scored off a stack pick-and-roll when Trent gambled for a steal and Maxey dropped in a floater over Lopez.

Everything’s easier when borderline calls go the Sixers’ way and all their stars are available. But, as Maxey knows well, he’ll often need to handle suboptimal circumstances.

“I played a little bit too fast,” he said. “I know Nurse wants me to play fast — just before the defense loads up — but I played a little bit too fast. There were a couple times I could’ve gotten in there and taken my time on layups that I missed, I feel like. … So I’ll be better. I’m not worried about that, but I’ll definitely be better.”