Doc Rivers Assesses Tyrese Maxey’s Performance vs. Pelicans

After an 18-game absence due to recovery from a fractured foot, Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey returned to the court last Friday night to face the New Orleans Pelicans.

Coming off the bench for the first time since last season, Maxey checked in for under 19 minutes. During that time, the young guard chucked up ten shots, draining 40 percent of his field goals. He finished the game with nine points, as a minus-18 in the Sixers’ 11-point loss.

The following night when the Sixers paid a visit to the Oklahoma City Thunder, Maxey received some rest. Being that he was coming off of a month-long recovery, Doc Rivers and the coaching staff didn’t want to force the young veteran back into the mix.

Two nights later, Maxey would make his return to the floor. With the Sixers engaging in a rematch against the Pelicans in South Philly, Maxey once again came off the bench. Instead of playing under 19 minutes, the third-year veteran checked in for 26 minutes.

Maxey drained five of his 14 shots, collecting 12 points. He wrapped up the game as a plus-two in the nine-point victory over New Orleans. After the matchup, Sixers head coach Doc Rivers assessed the young guard’s second performance since returning from his injury.

“Just out of sync,” said Rivers. “You know, it’s slowly gonna come. You know a lot of it I like. I loved a couple of drives to the basket. We kept telling him early on, think about getting your fingernails on the backboard. That means you’re attacking. That means you’re playing with speed, and he started doing that. He got frustrated a couple of times because he got there and there was a no call, but when he starts doing that, I think the rest of the game comes to him.”

Maxey wasn’t as efficient on Monday night, but you could see his confidence growing back. Not only did he attempt two more threes this time around, but he was looking to attack the basket when there was a lane. And if a player was protecting the rim, Maxey invited the contact.

Getting his legs back underneath him will be key to Maxey hitting his stride once again, but re-gaining confidence to attack without thinking too much is just as important. On Monday night, Maxey mentioned that he felt a lot more comfortable this time around.

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