3 observations: Tyrese Maxey impresses, seven Sixers fall to Nuggets
The Philadelphia 76ers played a basketball game on Saturday, well, sort of. It was a game that was played under extreme circumstances as the team was missing nine players due to injury and health and safety protocols and they had to start three rookies against the Denver Nuggets.
The result was a predictable 115-103 loss for their first home loss since December of 2019. Despite the loss, there were some bright spots for the Sixers to take from this one.
The big one is the play of rookie Tyrese Maxey who continues to impress as he scored 39 points with six assists, seven rebounds, and only two turnovers. Isaiah Joe also scored in double figures with 13, Danny Green contributed 11, and Dwight Howard had 11 and 11 rebounds and he made history in the process passing Hakeem Olajuwon for 13th place on the league’s all-time rebounding list.
With that said, here are the three observations:
Maxey's offensive game
Everybody knew Maxey was a guy who could get to the bucket and get a couple of floaters to drop, but with the ability to play freer being so shorthanded, he showed off other parts of his game. His ability to knock down pull-up 2s was impressive and that will be a skill that will come in handy at some point in the near future. Once he becomes more consistent with his 3-point shot, then he will be able to incorporate the pull-up jumper into his game a bit more and he can become a legitimate star player in the future. In the second half, Maxey began using his ball-handling and penetration to set up his teammates. There is a lot that this kid can do and the most impressive thing about his day was that he did not commit a turnover until the third quarter. His innate ability to consistently handle the ball and not turn it over has been a legitimate NBA trait for him.
The rookies step up
This was certainly not an easy task. Being down nine players, the Sixers had to start three rookies and another one off their bench to play big minutes. Maxey, Joe, and Paul Reed all had some impressive moments that should lead to more playing time in the future for them. Joe shot the ball with confidence and he showed off a skill set that can be used for the future as he was able to put the ball on the floor a bit too. He just needs a little more confidence in his game and not be afraid to let it fly. Dakota Mathias was able to get some 3s to drop as well. As for Reed, he was all over the floor in this one. This was the perfect game for him to show off his skill set and he took advantage of it. He was active on the glass, he was aggressive on defense, and he definitely has a nose for the basketball that will keep him in the league for a long time. The few criticisms of his game are that he looks to score every time he touches the ball so that threw off the flow of the offense at times and he will try to do too much sometimes. His growth will include slowing down on the floor.
Ball movement returns
The Sixers did not have the correct ball movement in their loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday and it was a main reason they lost the way they did. Philadelphia was whipping the ball around a bit more in this one and their ball movement would lead to more baskets if they had their regular guys out there. This was a game where the final score meant very little and it was all about how the players looked on the floor and for Philadelphia, it meant getting back into the habits of what made them successful to begin the season.
