CAMDEN, N.J. — The 2023-24 season was a frustrating one for the Philadelphia 76ers. They entered the playoffs as the No. 7 seed and were ousted by the New York Knicks in the first round.
The injury to Joel Embiid caused him to miss 43 games, and the Sixers tumbled in the standings.
In contrast, Philadelphia saw the meteoric rise of Tyrese Maxey. In 70 games, he averaged 25.9 points, 6.2 assists and 3.7 rebounds while shooting 45% from the floor and 37.3% from deep while being named an All-Star. He averaged 29.8 points, 6.8 assists and 5.2 rebounds in the playoffs.
Maxey exceeded everybody’s expectations, and those months without Embiid helped him grow.
“I think he probably exceeded mine in that the step he took this year was extremely hard, and for sure not a given that he would have done it,” President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey said. “We should all learn not to bet against Tyrese given that he’s beat expectations every single season both prior to coming here. Then, you become the priority guy on the scouting report, that’s a huge adjustment.”
When Embiid was out, teams focused on Maxey. The goal was to slow him and force the other Sixers to step up. Maxey overcame those challenges and gave Philadelphia guidance without the big fella.
“Blitzes, you’re the first guy on the film, and sometimes the only guy on the film especially when Joel was out,” Morey continued on Maxey. “How to stop this that he does. How to stop that? How to guard the step back. How to guard the speed.”
There were some games in the beginning when Maxey struggled a bit, but he continued to get better and better and that’s where Morey has been impressed with what he has brought to the table.
“He even had a couple games, especially early when Joel was out, I thought it was quite challenging for him,” finished Morey. “To his credit, working with our coaching staff, and watching a ton of video, and then just getting used to how people are gonna guard him, he really took that step forward. Tyrese gets all the credit. That was not a given that he can do all that and it’s very exciting that he did.”
The Sixers can grow with Embiid and Maxey as Philadelphia looks to get over the hump in the Eastern Conference.
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