Tyrese Maxey’s Early Injury Could Be a ‘Blessing in Disguise'

For the first time in his NBA career, Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey suffered a significant injury that kept him off the floor for weeks. During the Sixers’ 15th game of the season, Maxey left the November 18 matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks to get his foot checked out after spending 20 minutes on the floor.

The following day, an MRI revealed that Maxey had fractured his foot. After missing just 18 games through the first two years of his career, Maxey missed 18 straight games, spanning from late November until December 30 of this season.

Since returning to the floor, Maxey was eased back into the process of playing heavy minutes. Over time, his minutes expanded back to what they were before, even when his role was adjusted, and he was coming off the bench.

At this point in the year, Maxey’s back in the starting lineup. With 17 games left to go, the young veteran feels better than ever physically and views his early setback as a blessing in disguise since he received an extended break mid-season.

“I feel great, not because I got hurt, but I didn’t play for a while,” Maxey said following a Thursday afternoon practice session. “I think I looked at it yesterday, and I played like 40-something games? I haven't really played that much. I’ve only played like half the season. I feel really good. You know, it's a blessing in disguise, I guess you could say.”

Last season, Maxey was a full-time starter for the Sixers for the first time. He appeared in 75 games, averaging 35 minutes on the floor. Then in Philly’s 12 postseason matchups, Maxey saw his playing time increase to 40 minutes per game, which caught up to him near the end.

“Last year, I feel like at the end of the playoffs, that was my first time starting like throughout the whole year and playing those type of minutes,” Maxey continued. “I feel like at the end, I got tired. I was thinking like, ‘Dang, if we win, I got two rounds to go.’ But I feel really good. God willing, I’ll play all the games throughout the rest of the season and throughout the playoffs.”

Maxey’s foot injury presented the young guard with obstacles he’s never dealt with before in his career, but he’s reaping some of the benefits later on down the line. Since his foot is in good shape, Maxey is taking advantage of the extra rest he received early on and is using the setback as a lesson to remind him to make sure he takes care of his body as much as possible.

“[My food is] healed. It’s definitely healed. I think at the beginning, it was still a little bit sore. After games, it was sore. Now, I think it’s fully back to normal,” Maxey explained. “I’ve grown and kind of graduated to putting my feet in the ice bucket and ice my knees after every single game. I get in the cold tub when we’re at home during off days. I’m just trying to stay young. I mess with James (Harden), the Big Fella (Joel Embiid), sometimes PJ Tucker, and Georges (Niang); they’re old guys, but I get in there with them just to keep my youth.”

With the Sixers on pace to make the playoffs once again, Maxey will get an opportunity to be a key contributor with a guaranteed role for the second-straight season. Considering he feels more rested down the stretch, the Sixers could benefit from an even more energized Maxey, as he put up notable numbers in the playoffs last season, draining 48 percent of his shots and averaging 21 points per game.

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