Tyrese Maxey and Nick Nurse
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Sixers' head coach Nick Nurse kept it real when discussing Tyrese Maxey's ability to pick up the slack in Joel Embiid's absence
The Philadelphia 76ers saw their recent three-game win streak get snapped on Sunday night by the Boston Celtics, as they suffered a 114-98 defeat when all was said and done. Once again, Tyrese Maxey was forced to pick up the slack with Joel Embiid continuing to battle an oblique injury, and Maxey’s expanded role recently led to some eye-opening comments from Sixers’ head coach Nick Nurse.
While the cast around Maxey has changed all year long, he’s been the primary constant for the 76ers to this point. And throughout it all, Maxey’s play has remained about as consistent as the team could have hoped, which led to Nurse doling out praise for his superstar point guard as he leads the team forward during Embiid’s absence.
Nick Nurse Gushes Over Tyrese Maxey Amid Joel Embiid’s Injury Absence
With Embiid missing extended periods of time over the past few seasons, Maxey has found himself becoming the focal point of the Sixers’ offense. And even with Embiid looking more like himself this season, Maxey’s usage has been increased again, which is hard to fathom considering how much he was already playing.
Through 58 games this season, Maxey is leading the league with 38.5 minutes per game, but it isn’t impacting his production all that much. Maxey is averaging career highs across the board (29.1 PPG, 6.8 APG, 4.1 RPG) while also leading the league with two steals per game. Simply put, without him, Philly would be in quite a bit of trouble.
Now that Embiid has once again been sidelined with another injury, that has put the spotlight right back on Maxey, and he’s continued to do whatever he can to keep his team afloat. Nurse knows he’s putting a lot on Maxey’s shoulders, but he revealed just how confidant he is in the two-time All-Star’s ability to deliver the goods, no matter who is on the court alongside him.
“It’s happened for him quite a bit this year. I think he’s handled it very well,” Nurse said of Maxey. “There’s obviously some ups and downs at times throughout the season, but I think for the most part he’s done really well. It changes quite a bit, what happens out there on the floor. Sometimes it seems like it takes him a little bit both ways to kind of adjust, maybe a quarter or something like that, but he seems to usually come good in the end.”
Tyrese Maxey Aiming to Power Sixers to the Playoffs
GettyPhiladelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey celebrates. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
The hope for Philadelphia is that it can get Maxey, Embiid, and Paul George on the court at the same time to help lead the team on a deep playoff run. With George suspended for the time being, though, Maxey is going to have to be the guy who ensures the 76ers actually find their way into the playoffs in the first place.
After losing to the C’s, the Sixers have a 33-27 record, which is good for sixth place in the Eastern Conference. If the season ended today, Philly would avoid the Play-In Tournament, but the Orlando Magic are only 1.5 games behind them in seventh place, which is the cut-off for the tournament. As a result, it’s clear Maxey and company have a lot of work to do over the next few weeks if they want to guarantee themselves a spot in the postseason.