How Timberwolves Slowed Down ‘Handful’ Tyrese Maxey

Wednesday night’s matchup between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Minnesota Timberwolves offered a great opportunity for the Sixers to see how Tyrese Maxey performs without the Joel Embiid two-man game this season.

For the first time since the 2023-2024 NBA season tipped off, Joel Embiid got the night off as he dealt with hip soreness. Being that Wednesday’s game was the second matchup of a back-to-back set, the Sixers remained cautious with their MVP big man and allowed him to get some rest.

The keys to the Sixers’ offense were in the hands of Tyrese Maxey in Minnesota.

This season, the Sixers’ guard has been on an offensive tear. Behind Embiid’s NBA-leading 32 points per game, Maxey has been the second-most productive scorer, producing 26 points per game, marking a career-high. In the absence of the now-traded James Harden, Maxey has taken over the playmaking reins, dishing out seven assists per game.

Against the Timberwolves without Embiid, Maxey struggled to have the same impact he’s typically had throughout the year. Following Wednesday’s game, Minnesota head coach Chris Finch attributed his team’s defensive success against Maxey to forcing the guard to go left.

“Obviously, we want to get him going a certain direction,” Finch told reporters after the game. “More than that, you’ve got to be ready for his attack on the catch.”

Maxey’s ability to impact a game is no longer a secret for the Sixers. While he’s often been the third option behind Embiid and another All-Star, whether it’s Ben Simmons or Harden, Maxey has enough tape out there that put the league on notice, and the Timberwolves knew they had to be ready for the guard who Finch described as “such an explosive player.”

The buckets that Maxey got on Wednesday did not come easy at all. When he did score, there was typically some sort of “wow factor,” considering he had to work hard for them against the league’s toughest defensive unit so far this season.

But make no mistake about it: the Timberwolves were the first team to truly shut the guard down this year. In 33 minutes of action, Maxey led the Sixers with 19 shots from the field. Five of his attempts came from beyond the arc, where he’s been thriving since his sophomore effort.

From deep, Maxey went scoreless. Everywhere else, he was successful on just 36 percent of his attempts. Maxey finished the night with a season-low 16 points, having a similar scoring production as De’Anthony Melton and Marcus Morris.

“I thought we did a really good job,” Finch finished. “He’s a handful for sure — no doubt.”