Tyrese Maxey Needs to Shake Bad Habit vs. Hawks on Saturday

After a hot start to the 2022-2023 regular season, Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey has struggled to maintain his high level of play.

Considering Maxey’s struggles over the last week started in the absence of the injured James Harden, it’s clear the adjustment period without the ten-time All-Star on the floor with him has been a difficult obstacle to overcome so far.

But it’s not just the absence of Harden that’s affecting Maxey. Following Philadelphia’s loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday, the third-year guard acknowledged a recent change in his game formed sort of a bad habit.

Sixers All-Stars Harden and Joel Embiid are recognized as some of the most talented players when it comes to drawing fouls and getting to the free-throw line. This year, Maxey’s been getting some tips from Harden so he could learn to draw similar calls when he attacks the basket.

While Maxey’s improved in that area and has attempted 4.7 free throws per game, a number that’s up from the last two seasons, it’s caused the young guard to form a bit of a bad habit over the last few matchups.

“Honestly, I gotta stop going to the hole like I’m not going to score,” Maxey said after Thursday night’s loss in Atlanta. “I’m going to get like contact and stuff, and that’s on me, honestly. Going to the rim, one of the best things I do is finish with the ball. Right now, I’m trying to get calls and do different things like that, and that’s not how I play the game. I think that’s one of the biggest fixes.”

Over the last three games, Maxey has averaged 19 points while shooting just 30 percent from the field. While he’s attempted nearly six free throws per game, the young guard hasn’t seen as much scoring success, as he’s admittedly been more focused on getting his points from the line rather than finishing and draining baskets he would typically make.

“I gotta get back to attacking to score,” Maxey explained. “Attacking to score, not attacking to try and get to the line. When I go aggressive and attack to score, that’s when I’m at my best. I feel like I’ve gotten away from that probably like since the fourth quarter of the Knicks game.”

Without James Harden for at least the next few weeks, the Sixers need Maxey to step up and play similar to how he performed when the ten-time All-Star was on the court with him prior to the injury. Maxey’s aware of the adjustments he has to make, and the young guard will look to shake his recent bad habit to help lead his team to a payback victory over the Hawks on Saturday.

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