The Philadelphia 76ers are in the midst of still trying to figure everything out as a group amid the James Harden injury and the fact that they are sitting at 5-7 on the season. After a loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday, they expressed their frustration and they were upset with the way things have been going for them.
The Sixers are struggling to find any offensive rhythm without Harden and the player who is struggling the most is Tyrese Maxey. The young man out of Kentucky is shooting just 19-for-64 from the floor over the past three games and he’s shooting just 6-for-23 from deep.
Joel Embiid, who has always been in Maxey’s ear pushing him to shoot the ball, had a message for the rising star as Embiid told reporters:
“I told him, ‘Yeah, without James, we need you to be a point guard,” Embiid said. “But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be looking for your shot. He has to be aggressive for us to win. He has to be putting the ball up and he has to take shots. Right now, I think he’s thinking too much.”
“He needs to get out of the mentality,” Embiid said, “and just be himself.”
Considering Maxey was shooting 51.6% from the floor and 46.8% from deep through the first nine games of the season with Harden, the Sixers need him to regain his efficiency in order to help Philadelphia get back on track. They will host the Hawks on Saturday to complete this home-and-home series.
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