How Did Tyrese Maxey Perform Again in Sixers' Main Starting Five?

With the star center Joel Embiid back in the mix on Thursday night, the Philadelphia 76ers didn’t go back to their typical starting five. Instead, they made a change that many probably thought was long overdue by calling Tyrese Maxey back up to the starting unit.

It’s been an odd season for Maxey, who proved he was a starting-caliber guard in the NBA last year. While Maxey entered the 2022-2023 NBA season in Philly’s starting lineup for the first 15 games, a foot injury derailed the start of his season.

With a fracture, Maxey was sidelined for 18 straight games. When he returned to action, the young guard was on a minutes restriction coming off the bench. It took Doc Rivers and the Sixers three games before they went back to starting Maxey. And when they did, it was an adjustment.

Although the Sixers went 4-2 with Maxey back in the starting lineup, the backcourt duo of Maxey and James Harden struggled defensively. Considering Harden and the veteran guard De’Anthony Melton had a good thing going in Maxey’s absence, Rivers and Maxey admittedly agreed to switch things up.

On January 15, Maxey came off the bench against the Los Angeles Lakers. He would continue to play as a reserve for the next two games before starting again in the absence of multiple starters.

However, when the Sixers faced the Brooklyn Nets on January 25, Maxey resumed his reserve role. And the trend continued for the next 14 games.

When the Sixers paid a visit to the Miami Heat on Wednesday night, Maxey picked up the start in the absence of Joel Embiid. After a solid 27-point performance on 59 percent shooting from the field in the 23-point win over the Heat, Doc Rivers decided it might be time to go back to utilizing the third-year guard in the starting five.

With Embiid healthy and back in the fold on Thursday night in Dallas, Maxey got the nod to start over Melton. He was issued a tough task, as the Sixers were facing a superstar backcourt of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. Through the first half of action, Sixers guards had their hands full, as Doncic and Irving totaled for 45 points.

Offensively, Maxey was efficient but quiet in the first half, as he scored just seven points in 15 minutes of action. Nothing went well for the Sixers in the third quarter, as a tough Mavericks run caused the Sixers to trail by as many as 25 points.

But as we’ve seen a number of times throughout the season, Tyrese Maxey came alive and put the Sixers on his back in the fourth quarter. As Philadelphia’s reserves formed a 15-0 run at the start of the fourth quarter, Maxey was responsible for ten of those points.

Although the young guard gave his team life, it was too little too late for the Sixers, who couldn’t capitalize. Maxey finished the fourth quarter by knocking down seven of his 11 shots for 17 points. Overall, he wrapped up the game with 29 points.

The Sixers left Dallas with a 133-126 loss. It was surely a night to forget on the defensive end, but once again, Maxey showed promise in crunch time on the offensive end, proving he can be relied on down the stretch whether he’s starting or not.

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