Does Tyrese Maxey Play More Free in Revised Role With 76ers?

Now that Tyrese Maxey is sharing the court with reserves, is he playing more freely? Doc Rivers weighs in on.

After getting a peek at the Philadelphia 76ers with De’Anthony Melton in the starting lineup playing alongside James Harden, many believed the Sixers could benefit from having Tyrese Maxey come off the bench and thrive as the team’s sixth-man.

After returning from an 18-game absence, Maxey was eventually placed back in the starting lineup. Another sample size of the Maxey-Harden starting backcourt looked like a work in progress, but at this point in the year, the Sixers need to build on what’s already successful.

Tyrese Maxey felt a change coming. So, before it got to the point where he had to have a tough conversation with the head coach Doc Rivers about getting moved to a role off the bench, the young guard made the call himself instead.

In three of the last four games, Maxey has come off the bench for the 76ers. On the night he started in Sacramento, the team missed its starting point guard, James Harden.

Although Maxey hasn’t been a starter as of late, Doc Rivers mentioned that won’t always be the case. He reiterated that much on Tuesday afternoon following practice. 

But for the time being, Maxey’s finding success in a revised role. Since the January 15 matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers, the veteran guard has averaged 21 points while knocking down nearly 50 percent of his shots from the field. 

While there has not been a dramatic change in production since finding his role tweaked, Maxey has been more productive. Is that a result of the young guard playing more freely now that he’s the focal point of the second unit rather than a third or fourth option in the starting five? Doc Rivers dished his thoughts on the topic on Tuesday.

“I don’t think Tyrese has a problem thinking score, score, score, to be honest,” said Rivers. “Obviously, when he’s the focal point of the second group, he knows more is on him for sure. … It probably frees him up a little bit, but he’s pretty free. You think about it, I think it was the game in Portland; the starters were on the floor, and he was scoring. When he gets it going, he feels it, and our guys feel it, and they kind of go to him.” 

As a starter, Maxey’s found plenty of success in the scoring department between last season and this year before he suffered a fractured foot. But since the Sixers’ starting five relies on the combination of Joel Embiid and James Harden with a dose of Tobias Harris and Melton as well, the Sixers have the flexibility to have a starting-caliber player in Maxey find success within the second unit.

While Maxey will likely become solely a starter in the future, the Sixers will continue to benefit from the young guard becoming the face of their bench in most matchups.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.