PHILADELPHIA – With James Harden sidelined due to a foot injury, the Philadelphia 76ers offense predictably looks like it's lacking some juice. His playmaking and shot-creating are sorely missed by his Sixers teammates, especially down the stretch of close games. Tyrese Maxey, in particular, has struggled without him.
In the two games without Harden so far, Maxey has shot 10-29 and 4-18 from the field in the respective games. Getting Joel Embiid back in action in a win against the Phoenix Suns didn't end up helping him out of his shooting slump. Although he is the player that needs to step up the most with Harden out, given that he has the talent to be a brilliant scorer at any time, he is still figuring things out.
Still, Tobias Harris isn't worried. He explained that the young Sixers guard's process is still good and that finding a groove without Harden will take some time.
“Yeah, I think, everybody is kind of getting adjusted,” Harris explained after the Sixers' 100-88 win over the Suns. “When you lose a guy like James to injury, it creates more opportunity for other guys. Now the basketball is in Tyrese’s hands a majority of the game, being a point guard instead of you know being at the two spot. So it's just a matter of adjusting and getting comfortable. I think it's a small thing, but it's part of the game.” The Philly forward pointed to the increased usage Maxey is seeing, which is occurring on short notice, too.
“I think the looks he’s getting are shots that we know he can make,” Harris continued. “Sometimes, he's getting in the paint and there's a lot of contact. So I think from time to time, he's going to start to get more of those calls and that will kind of shake out some of the shooting percentages. But overall, I think in terms of the three, the shot looks good and he's getting good looks and he's still shooting it at a high clip on the year so far, so he'll be fine. It's just a little bit of adapting, I think.”
Maxey is hardly a merchant of Harden's playmaking. He looked like a strong scorer before The Beard landed with the Sixers last season and has only gotten better s far this year. His ability to shoot isn't going anywhere and his ability to get into the paint could get more dangerous if, like Harris alluded to and Doc Rivers explicitly said recently, he gets more foul calls. It will take some time but Maxey should be able to figure out how to thrive without Harden for the time being.
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