Doc Rivers Happy Seeing Tyrese Maxey Play More Minutes vs. Pacers

Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers liked what he saw out of Tyrese Maxey on Wednesday night against the Indiana Pacers.

Since the young guard has returned from his 18-game absence due to a fractured foot, Maxey has appeared in three of four games, getting a rest night on New Year’s Eve against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

In his first game back, Maxey appeared on the court against the New Orleans Pelicans for 18 minutes. During that time, he shot 4-10 from the field, scoring nine points.

After getting a rest night, Maxey was back on the floor at the start of the week to face the Pelicans once more. Exceeding 25 minutes of playing time, the young guard scored 12 points on 5-14 shooting from the field.

As the Sixers approached Wednesday night’s matchup against the Pacers, Rivers mentioned that there was a good chance Maxey could start and see his minutes increase. Sure enough, that was really the case.

Maxey got the nod to start after coming off the bench for his first two games back. As far as minutes go, he clocked in for 36 minutes, exceeding 30 minutes of playing time for the first time since November 13. After the Sixers’ win over the Pacers on Wednesday, Rivers expressed his excitement for Maxey, as the young guard handled the bigger workload well.

“I was so happy for Tyrese — just getting his legs and playing big minutes tonight,” said Rivers.

Handling higher minutes without looking fatigued was a great sign for Maxey, who was off the court for over a month while recovering from his injury. As far as his production goes, Rivers noted all of that is still a work in progress.

“He still didn’t have his rhythm yet, but it’s still coming, and you can see that,” Rivers continued. “He had a pick and roll late in the game where he came off and just passed the ball. I told in the timeout and was like, ‘That is not what we call a pick and roll for,’ you know? But it’s coming, and you can see it. It’s coming. He’ll be back very soon.”

Maxey took 16 shots in 36 minutes on Wednesday night. While he collected 17 points, Maxey still isn’t shooting as efficiently as he was prior to the injury. Fortunately for the Sixers, Maxey has proven over the last couple of years that he can keep his confidence high and continue getting better as the hard work does not go unnoticed.

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