WASHINGTON — Saturday’s 119-113 victory over the Washington Wizards allowed the Philadelphia 76ers to see what Tyrese Maxey and Buddy Hield look like together on the floor.
The results were very encouraging.
Maxey finished with 28 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists while Hield had 23 points, six assists, five rebounds, and four steals. The two of them combined for seven triples as the Wizards had to make a tough decision of whether to leave Maxey or Hield on the screens at the top of the offense.
One has to wonder now, if that’s how the Sixers looked with just those two, what are they going to look like when Joel Embiid returns?
“The sky’s the limit, honestly,” Maxey said of that possibility after the win. “I was just kind of just telling Buddy that a few minutes ago. He’s like, ‘Man, it’s crazy because like you can get downhill on those ghost screens. They try not to leave me. They’re not trying to get off your body.’ I’m like ‘Yeah, if you think they’re not trying to get off my body, wait till No. 21 gets back. They never leave in his body’.”
Embiid has improved so much as a passer and now that an elite and willing shooter like Hield is in the fold, it will be extremely tough to stop Philadelphia on offense. Opposing teams had to decide whether they wanted to leave the big fella or Maxey in the past, but now one has to throw in Hield.
The confusion that the Sixers can cause now on the offensive end really is going to be very interesting to watch when they become whole again. The amount of screen setting and movement off the ball is going to be a big part of Philadelphia’s offense.
“It’s been great,” Maxey finished of Hield. “I think more than just his basketball. His IQ and his energy have been great. Him and Cam Payne. They’ve been awesome. We appreciate them.”
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