Sixers' Doc Rivers is finding out what Tyrese Maxey, Georges Niang and others can do

PHILADELPHIA — The silver lining with the 76ers being so shorthanded is coach Doc Rivers gets to try different combinations and take longer looks at players in expanded roles.

Since star center Joel Embiid, starting forward Tobias Harris and reserve guards Matisse Thybulle and Isaiah Joe are sidelined by the NBA's health and safety protocols, as well as Ben Simmons unavailable for personal reasons, Rivers has had to be especially creative.

With shooting guard Seth Curry also sitting out due to a left foot contusion in Tuesday night's 118-109 home loss to the defending champion Bucks, Rivers admitted he went with some lineups "that we would never fathom that we would use."

One player who has excelled as the primary ball-handler during the past five games is second-year pro Tyrese Maxey. A combo guard, the fearless Maxey has accumulated 28 assists and just two turnovers in 200 minutes during that span despite his rotating cast of teammates. He had no turnovers in 80 minutes during back-to-back games Monday and Tuesday.

"He's doing a nice job," Rivers said. "And we're so tough on him because we need to teach him. Even (in Monday's 103-96 loss to the Knicks), we showed him three or four times when he got in the paint and could have made plays. Overall, I think he has the right tempo, the right pace. He's making the right decisions and putting pressure on the defense, so he's doing a lot of good things."

Huge loss for Sixers: 'He's struggling with it': Joel Embiid enters NBA health and safety protocols, could miss 10 days

Hurting their causes: Neither Sixers nor Ben Simmons is getting what they want, which doesn't help anyone

Maxey, who just turned 21, scored 31 points to tie Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo for game-high honors and shot 12 for 24 Tuesday, giving him an average of 18.2 points while going 36 of 74 from the field (.486) over the past five games. He tallied 17 in the first quarter to stake the undermanned Sixers to a lead and knocked down 4 of 9 3-pointers to improve his season percentage to .385 after converting .301 of his chances from beyond the arc as a rookie.

"I thought Tyrese was sensational," Rivers said. "He kept attacking."

Asked where he believes he's made the most progress, Maxey replied, "I think confidence, leadership and being more vocal. I'm just trying to do my part to help us win."

Maxey's teammates have been thoroughly impressed with how he's handling the additional responsibilities.

"He walks in every day with a smile on his face," said backup Georges Niang. "The kid has so much energy and so much pizzazz and so much poise. I'm so happy for him because everything that's going on with our team allows him to grow."

Signed as a free agent to a two-year, $6.8 million contract in August, sixth-year forward Niang is having his best season. He's averaging career-highs in scoring (12.9 points) and minutes (23.1), having registered four outings of 15-plus points in the Sixers' first 12 games after having just five in 72 contests with the Jazz last season. And the Philly fans have taken to him, as evidenced by how they respond when he hits a big shot and encourages them to celebrate with him.

"The energy in this arena is unreal," said Niang, who equaled his season-best with 21 points Tuesday. "... I have high expectations for myself. I'm going to go out there and maximize the opportunities that I have. I feel like I've been doing that."

After going with a 7-man rotation in the New York game, Rivers had said he planned to go 10-deep Tuesday, but he only called upon eight of his 10 available players. Rookie big man Charles Bassey was active, contributing a pair of second-quarter blocked shots in a four-minute run. First-round pick Jaden Springer and two-way player Aaron Henry never got off the bench.

The waiting game: When is it realistic to expect Ben Simmons to play in a game for the Sixers?

For subscribers: Allen Iverson wanted out, too, so Sixers sent him home, then traded him to Nuggets

The 8-4 Sixers knew Tuesday would be a challenge even if they had been closer to full strength, since it was their sixth game in nine days and ended a second set of back-to-backs. Missing so many key players only compounded their degree of difficulty and will continue to be the case Thursday against the Raptors and Saturday vs. the Pacers, which begins a six-game road trip.

Still, Rivers stressed that the bottom line is the Sixers didn't win either game despite giving themselves a chance and showing some encouraging signs.

With only one regular starter from last year's team available (Danny Green), Rivers started Maxey, Furkan Korkmaz (2-for-18 shooting), Shake Milton, Paul Reed and Andre Drummond (17 points, 20 rebounds), with Green and Niang leading the second group.

Just like the New York game, the Sixers were more than willing but didn't have enough to finish the job.

"This team believes it can win games," Rivers said. "That's going to serve us well when we're at full strength."

Harris, the Sixers' second-leading scorer with a 19.8-point average, could return as soon as next Tuesday's road date with the Utah Jazz, if he is ready after the required 10 days in the league's protocols.

"Tobias is doing a lot better," Rivers said. "He's the one guy that I'd say would be back sooner rather than later."

These days, the Sixers can use all of the help they can get, even with all that Maxey and Niang are providing.

Tom Moore: tmoore@couriertimes; @TomMoorePhilly

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Sixers' Doc Rivers has no choice but to learn about shorthanded team