Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey was beginning to really take steps forward on the offensive end when the team was missing the likes of Joel Embiid and Tobias Harris out on the floor.
In nine games without Embiid and four without Harris, Maxey averaged 23.7 points on 48.8% shooting and he shot 42.1% from deep. He had some impressive games throughout that stretch and there was hope that those performances would come more often when the team got fully healthy again.
Instead, Maxey has struggled to keep the performances going. In three games since Embiid has returned, he is averaging only 10 points on 25% shooting and 22.2% from deep. It is a little disappointing, but at this point, Maxey will just have to readjust everything to playing with the big fella again.
Coach Doc Rivers is not worried about Maxey as he told FanNation’s Justin Grasso:
“I think where people get lost is when Joel is out, someone’s gotta score,” he continued. “That’s just the way it is. When Joel and Tobias is out, someone’s gotta score. When Joel, Tobias, and Seth (Curry) are out, someone’s gonna score more points. So when they come back, that doesn’t mean that same someone’s gonna score the same amount of points. It’s asinine to think that way, you know? He’s gonna be aggressive, and we’re going to keep him aggressive. He just didn’t play well the other night. That’s gonna happen. It wasn’t just him — I didn’t think we played well as a group.”
As long as Maxey continues to stay aggressive, he and the Sixers should be fine. Basketball can be a make-or-miss game a lot of times and right now, he’s just missing shots. It will come back to him and the rest of the Sixers as they move forward.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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