PHILADELPHIA–In Friday’s win over the New York Knicks, Tyrese Maxey was able to finally break out of a slump. After a few games where he didn’t look like himself, he scored 27 points off the bench as the Philadelphia 76ers knocked off the Knicks.
Before going off the way he did on Friday, Maxey was shooting just 36.8% from the floor overall and just 27.3% from deep over the course of his previous six games. Those are not Maxey-like numbers as he has proven over the course of his career that he is a much better shooter than that.
In Friday’s win, he shot 9-for-16 and he was 5-for-8 from deep.
“I feel better,” he said. “I had a rough past week, man. Just rough and mentally, I didn’t play well. I had a conversation with my parents yesterday for about an hour and a half and I kind of got all the emotions out that I needed to get out. I told coach Doc (Rivers), I told Sam (Cassell) that I was human and I had to let it out. Once I let it out, I told him I would be the best version of Tyrese that I can be for the rest of this year.”
Over the course of a long 82-game season, these things happen. A guy will go through some ups and some downs and it can be tough to continue to battle through all of that and be the player they normally are out on the floor.
“It’s called basketball,” said Rivers. “I’m not trying to simplify it. I swear to God, it’s basketball. Even if he started. He had a stretch where he was starting, he was struggling. James (Harden), Joel’s (Embiid) had a stretch. It’s basketball. I’m dead serious with that answer. It’s an 82-game season and you’re gonna go through stretches.”
Maxey was moved to the bench on Jan. 15 when the Sixers took on the Los Angeles Lakers on the road and that can be a cause of the struggles.
“You’re gonna go through ruts,” Rivers added. “He’s young. I think that’s probably the biggest answer to it. He’s young and it’s just basketball.”
To Rivers’ point, struggles will happen over the course of an 82-game season. Now is the time to battle through all of that and continue to be the rising star that he is expected to be. Maxey was able to talk to his support system in order to pull him out of this rut.
“I’m human and I want to be able to help my team as much as possible,” Maxey added. “New roles, different stuff happens. and it’s just, like I said, I’m human, man. Thoughts go through your mind.”
Maxey even talked to his college coach at Kentucky,…
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