Philadelphia 76ers Still Searching for Answers

PHILADELPHIA — The answer isn’t obvious. Because the problem isn’t either. Didn’t the Philadelphia 76ers just solve their biggest problem? Finally out from under James Harden, Philly is free to be whatever it wants to be going forward.

Of course, it’s more like, “whatever it wants to be — as long as it keeps Joel Embiid happy.” But that’s always in the sauce here, whether it was Jimmy Butler or Al Horford or Ben Simmons or Harden — or, now, Tyrese Maxey — serving as the loyal second to the now-defending league Most Valuable Player.

What’s the best way for the Sixers to utilize their now-significant amount of depth, much of which came from the LA Clippers in the Harden trade with LA and the Thunder, to best service Embiid? I’m really not sure yet. The Sixers aren’t either. They almost imploded Wednesday at home, blowing most of a 14-point fourth-quarter lead with less than three minutes left against the Boston Celtics.

Dear God, how the Celtics have lived in Philly’s head. Three times since 2018 and six times since 1982 — the last time the 76ers beat the C’s in a postseason series — Boston has ended Philadelphia’s season. It’s a long way to the playoffs from here, but at least the 76ers held on Wednesday, with Kristaps Porziņģis missing an open 3 in the final seconds that would have tied it.

“We’ve got an interesting team,” Sixers coach Nick Nurse said. After beating Boston 106-103, the Sixers are 6-1 and, two weeks into the season, the top seed in the Eastern Conference. They were top five in the league in offensive and defensive rating entering play Wednesday.

Yet they still seem decidedly under the radar after the Bucks’ and Celtics’ offseason moves sucked all the oxygen out of NBA Twitter. On the other hand, Harden’s drama with President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey was its own miniseries. Maybe that’s why Embiid smiled when I asked him about being able to work out the kinks this year without the glare that has accompanied the team the last few years, after hiring Doc Rivers in 2020. Not getting past the second round cost Rivers his job.

Maxey entered last season knowing his role in Philly, really, for the first time — the top perimeter option off Embiid, needing either Harden or Embiid to get him the rock. On media day, with Harden in the midst of his work slowdown, Maxey said he was ready for “Plans A, B, C through Z.” With Harden gone, it’s Maxey’s ball. And his decisions. And his ass if this doesn’t turn out right.

His offensive numbers had been first-rate in most categories before Wednesday, when he made just 11 of 27 from the floor against Boston. But the Sixers are cool with that second number. In fact, Maxey has the green light to go buck-wild with the rock. When Embiid rests to start the second and fourth quarters, Maxey is often the only starter on the floor. He was passive with the second unit to start the second quarter Wednesday but scored 11 points in the first six minutes of the fourth. And when he and Embiid have gotten to the pick-and-roll this season, it’s been lethal.

“Coach Nurse is just telling me to be ultra-aggressive,” Maxey said. “He gets extremely upset with me when I turn down shots, or if they go under and I don’t shoot, or he feels like I’m being passive and not getting into the paint.” Nick Nurse’s 76ers are 6-1 so far this season. There was reason to tell Maxey to push the envelope. Going into Wednesday’s games, per basketball-reference.com, Maxey was 59th (59th!) in the league in usage rate among qualified players, putting him behind — way behind — guys such as Malcolm Brogdon and Lonnie Walker IV and Franz Wagner (not that there’s anything wrong with any of those fellas).

It’s a lot to ask a 23-year-old, in a city that doesn’t believe in grading on the curve. But that’s the deal. “Experience is the greatest teacher,” forward Tobias Harris said. “The more reps he has at it, to really evaluate it, pick apart the game, see the game, he’s a worker — on the court, film, etc. He’s doing a great job. He’s going to continue to blossom into that position. We still always want him to be aggressive and look for his shot, just because he’s such a dynamic scorer with the ball. It’s a fine line, but he’s doing a great job balancing both of it. He just has to stay at it.”

Maxey’s defense was always the drag on his game. But the consistency at that end is much better. The effort he displayed chasing down Derrick White for a transition block was first-rate. In the third quarter, he drew a charge on Jaylen Brown in the post, getting up under him like he started to do more effectively against opposing ballhandlers last season. No one outworks him. He spent this summer with trainer Drew Hanlen, who focused on Maxey playing with even greater pace, improving his playmaking off ball screens and direct handoffs and creating his own shot off the bounce. Maxey lived in the film room with Hanlen, who includes Embiid among his stable of NBA superstars. “He’s one of the hardest workers I’ve worked with,” Hanlen texted Wednesday. “Special person too.”

Floor spacing and movement will be a work in progress all season here, it seems. For now, De’Anthony Melton is starting at the two, and Kelly Oubre Jr. at the three. But Nurse now has additional options. Nicolas Batum has started 825 games in his career; Robert Covington, 463. But they and the other LA Sixers are still getting up to speed on the playbook; Nurse figures he’s had nine “study halls” for Batum, Covington, Marcus Morris Sr. and Kenyon Martin Jr. since their arrival.

The Sixers have two wins over Toronto but made no bones about the importance of Wednesday’s game with Boston, with a return match coming in a week, as an early measuring stick of where they are, which, given how Boston has owned them in recent postseasons, makes sense. That’s especially acute for Maxey, who struggled (40 percent from the floor; 34.5 percent from deep) against the Celtics last spring. “The last few games, in the fourth quarter, I’ve been trying to be ultra-aggressive, especially with the (second) unit,” Maxey said. “That’s our time to give Joel as much rest as we can, and I think we did that today. We got stops. And then I just wanted to be extremely aggressive and get to the paint and score the ball and still kick the ball out and get guys shots. But I know I have confidence in my game, and I’m capable of doing a lot of things out there.”

Scoring, shooting, passing, defense, floor generalship — Maxey will have to do all of it for Philly to get past its postseason…

Reference

Emily Turner

Emily Turner is your source for everything NBA. As a dedicated basketball enthusiast, she offers insights into NBA games, player highlights, trade rumors, and the league’s evolving dynamics. Emily’s love for the sport shines through in her comprehensive NBA coverage.