Tyrese Maxey has emerged as a bright spot for the Sixers in the Ben Simmons standoff, writes Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer. With Simmons not playing and Shake Milton sidelined by a sprained ankle, Maxey became the team’s opening night point guard. He has remained in the starting lineup and is averaging 16.5 points, 3.7 rebounds and 4.7 assists in his second NBA season.
“Tyrese’s energy is so contagious,” Matisse Thybulle said. “… He’s got one of the hardest jobs on the court being a point guard trying to quarterback the whole gym, and (coach Doc Rivers) doesn’t take it easy on him, and he’s able to take this challenge and show up day in and day out with one of the best attitudes on the team.”
The Sixers landed Maxey with the 21st pick in the 2020 draft, even though they had him ranked in the top 12. President of basketball operations Daryl Morey, who had just arrived from Houston, credits the scouting department and general manager Elton Brand for identifying Maxey as a top prospect.
“We believed in Tyrese so much,” Morey said. “We weren’t looking for ‘solid’. … We felt like our first-round pick, we wanted to shoot for someone who could be a higher-end player in the league. We were surprised he was there, and really thrilled he was there.”
There’s more from Philadelphia:
- Joel Embiid had to briefly leave Thursday’s game in the second half to get checked for abdominal pain, but he doesn’t believe it’s a big deal, according to Justin Grasso of SI.com. “In the first quarter, I thought it was a cramp,” Embiid said. “As the game went on, I started not breathing right. So I needed to check it out. I honestly don’t know (what it was), but it was pretty painful. I’m not sure what happened. I don’t know (if it’ll affect me moving forward). I’ll be fine.”
- There’s a chance to trade for CJ McCollum right now if the Sixers decide to send Ben Simmons to the Trail Blazers, but Damian Lillard probably won’t be available until at least the offseason, Kyle Neubeck of The Philly Voice states in a mailbag column. However, the collapsed lung that McCollum suffered this week could delay trade talks.
- Morey’s trade history suggests that Sixers fans shouldn’t get attached to anyone other than Embiid, Neubeck adds. Morey overhauled the Rockets several times during his years in Houston and will continue seek the best possible return for Simmons at any position other than center.
The smartest idea
McCollum for Simmons
Reason
Lillard is not available
I’d rather hold him then or trade to the pacers for one of their players that score, or try for vanvleet. McCollums health and really just being a second scoring option and not a real star is why.
@codeeg Correct, I am not even sure I would trade Tobias for CJ? I sure ain’t giving them Ben for him, when Curry fills a similar role at a much more team friendly price.
if people keep saying it eventually it has to happen…
Another insightful comment from Sillivan
Watched the Sixers vs Jazz gm last night. Gotta say Jazz looked good. Never a big Conley fan. But he looked good last night. A solid vet who can still score. And just a good fit who plays team ball.
For all Rudy is. He is a force on their team. You definitely have to deal with him. D doesn’t get the fanfare and it is half the gm. 17 pts and 21 reb and big man D. Jazz 52 reb Sixers 34 reb. There are coaches who believe rebs are one of most important stats.
Rudy Gay was also a solid pickup for them. 10 pts and 6 reb in 17 mins. Jazz had 8 guys in double fig scoring. Whiteside another solid pickup. Had 14 pts and 10 reb in 15 mins. This is a good team. Who will definitely challenge for the West crown. No way Warriors beat them without Wiseman in playoffs.
Top three teams in West are very good. going to be good and tough playoffs this year.
Jazz look good, if the Suns or warriors skip a beat I could see the Jazz coming out of the west. Won’t be easy because most likely they would need to beat both back to back to get there. But I doubt anyone really wants to face Utah in a 7 game series
Best idea Simmons to pacers then trade those assests
Saw Maxey a little over a month ago in Philly. He is going to be very good, a 2 way player who can make his own shot. It was a night with Embiid out and Maxey kept them in the game. He has strong leadership qualities and they really run the court when he is out there. I actually prefer him to Simmons overall.
They ran the court because Joel was out. As much as I like Joel, his condition is a concern. He is a great defender, but his transition D is dreadful. The primary reason we lost to Atlanta is not Ben (even though the media has driven that narrative), but rather transition D (Doc was harping on it during the Washington series. Not to mention our pace has dropped of greatly this year without Ben…the reason they ran in the game you speak of is again largely because Joel was not playing.
Don’t get me wrong, I love Joel…but he slows our O down and is a large reason we give up so much on transition D