76ers Finally Get Tyrese Maxey Going vs. Celtics in Game 5
All season long, Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey has struggled against the Boston Celtics.
In a season where Maxey averaged 20 points while knocking down 48 percent of his shots and draining 43 percent of his threes, the young guard saw his numbers dip dramatically when going against the Celtics.
During the 2022-2023 season, Maxey faced the Celtics four times. Over that stretch, he averaged ten points while shooting 35 percent from the field and 21 percent from three.
The Sixers hoped to see Maxey bounce back against the Celtics during the Eastern Conference Semifinals, but the first four games weren’t inspiring.
Picking up an average of 38 minutes on the court, Maxey accounted for 16 points per game in the second-round series through four outings. He struggled from the field, shooting just 37 percent and knocking down only 29 percent of his threes on seven attempts per game.
Before Game 5, the Sixers made it clear they are preaching aggressiveness to Tyrese Maxey. Sixers head coach Doc Rivers wanted the young guard to command more shot opportunities. Joel Embiid wanted to see Maxey increase his reps from beyond the arc.
Using a combination of both, Maxey put together his finest outing against the Celtics in Game 5, which helped the Sixers achieve their most notable win of the second round this postseason.
“Being aggressive doesn’t mean taking all the shots, it’s about attacking with force. Making sure you get the best looks possible for yourself and creating for your teammates,” said Sixers center Joel Embiid. “Tonight, he played with a purpose. He knew what he wanted to do, he knew when to attack, and when to involve everybody else, and that’s what we need from him — attacking, being aggressive, and also being efficient doing so.”
“Ball movement… Honestly, The ball went from side to side,” Doc Rivers chimed in. “You think about it; he had three or four just point-blank threes because of his rotations. With him and Tobias, it’s a barometer for us. If Tobias and Maxey are involved, that mean’s the ball’s moving. If Tobias and Maxey are not involved, that means the ball’s not moving, and the ball moved today. With seven minutes left, we put it in his hand because we thought with his quickness, he could handle their pressure.”
Joel Embiid and James Harden have been pulling their weight all series long, but Game 5 was the Sixers’ best collective effort in the second round, and Maxey was a major key for that. In nearly 42 minutes of action, the young guard attempted 21 shots.
Maxey drained 48 percent of his shots and drilled 50 percent of his threes after attempting 12 of them during his shift. He finished Game 5 with a series-high of 30 points.
“I'm very, very proud of him,” said Sixers guard James Harden. “The first step as a young player in this league is you put the work in, you build confidence in yourself, you build confidence in your game, you find your niche, you find out what what you're really good at, and then you just put the work in, and he's been doing it. So, he's a really good shot-maker, and consistently his shot hasn’t been falling. Tonight, it was. It was huge for us. So, he puts the work in, and good things happen when it's supposed to happen. And tonight was his night.”
Did the Sixers do anything different to get the young guard going? According to Maxey, he was simply following orders from his coaches and teammates.
“I wouldn't say that there was anything different. I mean, I think I just started out extremely aggressive,” Maxey explained. “Jo, James, Tobias, they told me the shots that I've been shooting have been pretty good shots, just haven’t been falling as they do. They're gonna fall for you. You know, we're not really worried about you. You put the work in, so keep doing what you're able to do out there and keep being aggressive.”
Maxey was a critical piece to the Sixers’ 12-point win on the road against the Celtics on Tuesday night. Now, the Sixers are one game away from clinching a spot in the Eastern Conference Finals. Consistency will be the key moving forward, and Philadelphia will need to see a similar Maxey in order to maximize their chances of moving forward in the playoffs.
