Tyrese Maxey and the Philadelphia 76ers are currently trying to stay afloat in the crowded Eastern Conference playoff picture in the absence of superstar center Joel Embiid, who has been out of the lineup since late January after suffering a meniscus injury. With Embiid only able to watch from the sidelines, Maxey has taken on the lion's share of the offensive load for the 76ers in recent weeks, and has responded quite impressively, as the former Kentucky Wildcat is currently averaging 25.7 points and 6.2 assists this season.
Of course, when watching Maxey play, one can't help but wonder who he garners his inspiration from in crafting his game. As it turns out, the answer includes some of his current NBA point guard counterparts.
“It's been a lot of work and a lot of film work. It's all hard work and determination. I've worked extremely hard to get to this moment and have this opportunity. I have to take advantage of it. I watch a lot of basketball. I watch a lot of different dynamic guards. As of late, defenses have been doing a lot of different things. They're trapping. They're denying (me the ball). I've seen them do box-and-ones. I've seen everything this year. So I'm trying to watch other guys to see how they've handled it and then put it into my own game,” said Maxey, per Mark Medina of Sportskeeda.
“I watch a little bit of Donovan Mitchell, a little bit of Jalen Brunson and a little bit of Kyrie Irving when he was in Boston. I've watched guys that were either primary or secondary scorers that have gotten trapped, blitzed and different things like that. That is what is going on with me now. So, I have to be ready and be prepared for it. They're able to manipulate the defense and able to get their teammates open. That's opened things up for them,” said Maxey.
Tyrese Maxey is learning from the best
Indeed, Kyrie Irving, Jalen Brunson, and Donovan Mitchell each have spent extensive time as the number one options on their respective teams, meaning they receive the majority of the defensive attention and are often met with double teams as soon as they near the three-point line. Maxey has slid into a similar role in the absence of Embiid, as the open shots that the big man creates just from being on the floor are no longer as readily available.
Currently, the 76ers sit in eighth place in the Eastern Conference playoff picture, but still have a reasonable chance of working their way back into the top six, which would mean avoiding the dreaded Play In tournament and guaranteeing themselves a spot in the postseason. There is optimism that Embiid could make a return from his injury prior to the start of the playoffs, which would automatically make Philadelphia one of the more feared teams in the conference.
In any case, Maxey and his 76ers teammates will next take the floor on Friday evening in Los Angeles vs the Lakers.
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