In a game where Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid wouldn't be playing for the 76ers, the pressure was placed on the back of rookie Tyrese Maxey to step up to the plate. After Seth Curry tested positive for Covid-19 earlier this week, forcing the team to quarantine, the 76ers barely had enough players to fill an eight man lineup, the minimum requirement to be able to play. The 76ers were expecting to be blown out, and they could afford it due to their hot start to the season, sitting at 7-2 before the game started. However, the 76ers would not be blown out, and that was because of one man, the former Kentucky wildcat, rookie, and 21st pick in the 2020 NBA Draft Tyrese Maxey.
Because of the quarantine and reasons such as small injuries the 76ers lineup was very shallow entering the game against the Nuggets, who are fully healthy. The starting lineup for the 76ers was Tyrese Maxey, old man Dwight Howard, brick layer Danny Green, and two homeless guys the team picked up off the streets of Philadelphia. Tyrese was ready to showout though, because you better believe he was playing every minute of this game, and he was gonna have the ball on every single possession. The 76ers may have went back in time to the process for this game, but they just may have found their next star. He ended the night with 39 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists on 44 minutes of play.
I will be honest, coming into the season I wasn't expecting a lot from Maxey for several reasons. When he was at Kentucky he was very off-and-on throughout the entire season. I think he was better built for the big moments, but he would play poorly in games that didn't mean much. So I think in games where he really puts his mind to it he can be a great player, the problem is i'm not sure if he can consistently play at a high level. However, for now I am gonna look at the positives, because I do really like Maxey and I hope he does well. He's in a great position to develop his game in Philadelphia, he has experienced players surrounding him, and the team will definitely get to the playoffs.
In the end we can look at this performance as one of two things. You can view it as a performance enhanced by a mass amount of touches, and one that didn't lead to a meaningful win for the team. On the other hand, you can view it the way I view it. A performance that while it may not mean a ton in the greater scheme of things, it does give us a look into the true potential of a player. At least we know he can put the ball in the hoop, and for a team that just may need a sparkplug of a player to help push them over the edge, Maxey may be the guy who steps up when he's needed, and he may just be the next man up for the Philadelphia 76ers.
pc:Justin Kubatko