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Tyrese Maxey’s Honest Assessment on Struggles vs Raptors

What went wrong for Tyrese Maxey against the Raptors?
Feb 11, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey (0) reacts against the Toronto Raptors in the third quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
Feb 11, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey (0) reacts against the Toronto Raptors in the third quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

As the Philadelphia 76ers engaged in a tight matchup through the first half against the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday night, one stat really stood out.

Tyrese Maxey had just two shots taken. Both misses, resulting in zero points for the veteran guard.

For a guy averaging 28 points per game during the 2024-2025 NBA season, Maxey’s quiet first half against Toronto was certainly a head-scratcher.

Tyrese Maxe
Feb 11, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey (0) controls the ball against the Toronto Raptors in the first quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

After the matchup, he explained what went wrong for him on a personal level.

"I just wasn’t aggressive,” the guard told reporters. "I got kinda started late and slow.”

Maxey isn’t one to point fingers—and he wasn’t going to pin his lack of shots on anybody else on Tuesday. He simply claimed the lack of aggressiveness was solely on himself and is striving to get his rhythm back on Wednesday against the Brooklyn Nets.

“I’ll be more aggressive,” he added. "I’ll be fine. I’ll be better [on Wednesday], and then I’ll get some rest. I’ll be good. I make no excuses. I should’ve been a lot more aggressive today and helped my teammates out."

Maxey finished the second half by shooting 1-7 from the field. Two of his five points came from the free-throw line. With a lack of scoring from the young veteran, the Sixers struggled to take down a struggling Raptors team. A 106-103 loss sends the Sixers into Brooklyn with a fourth-straight defeat.

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Published
Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Justin Grasso was a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s Philadelphia 76ers On SI Network. Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writers Association. Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoMedia Threads: @JGrassoMedia

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