Dan Hamilton
Tyrese Maxey shot 6-for-23, the Sixers couldn't defend without fouling and Philadelphia got crushed on the glass in an embarrassing loss to the under-manned Toronto Raptors.
Here's what I saw.
- Maxey deserves a ton of credit for expanding his horizons as a passer, at least in this very early stage of the season. He's made passing reads that he either would've turned down or simply missed this time a year ago. He tried to thread the needle a few times in the first half against Milwaukee, and made a beautiful pass to the weak-side corner out of a drive in the second half of that game. Even though the team's overall shooting has hardly incentivized Maxey to trust his teammates thus far, he kept his eyes open against the Raptors.
Let's start with maybe the nicest pass of Maxey's career, a behind-the-back bouncer as a kick-out to Kelly Oubre Jr. in the corner on a strong-side drive. Then, there were a handful of pocket passes out of the pick-and-roll, Maxey setting up teammates on the plunge to the rim. Early in the second half, Maxey fired one across the floor out of a drive, Caleb Martin mishandling the ball in the weak-side corner. Maxey has had a rough start to the season shooting the ball, but he's stepping out of his comfort zone as a passer.
- As hideous as this game was for the Sixers' offense, Philadelphia got good switches for Maxey to attack with the ball. The Raptors tried their best to keep Ochai Agbaji or Davion Mitchell on him at all times. The Sixers wanted him attacking Jakob Pöltl in the pick-and-roll or hunting Gradey Dick.
Philadelphia didn't lose the plot in terms of looking for Maxey. They got him the desired matchup with traditional pick-and-rolls or small-small screens to get the switch. The problem was, they got those switches pretty late in the shot clock. It inherently clogged up the offense because of the amount of time needed to put any kind of pressure on the rim and force Toronto to execute defensive rotations. Beyond that, the more time you take, the more you raise your risk of a turnover.
- Maxey is learning how to probe with defenders on his back and hip. But, he would probably draw a friendlier whistle as he toggles between pull-up jumpers and driving to the rim if he jumped off both feet instead of just one. That doesn't mean he's not getting fouled otherwise. But, officials will always react to the aesthetic of contact. If he jumps off two feet and gets run into, it's going to look much more egregious than if he absorbs contact jumping off one foot.
- It's a byproduct of the Sixers trying to build chemistry with so many new pieces, but they cannot defend without fouling right now. I don't usually believe the basic box score tells a meaningful story, but the Sixers cannot piece together sequences of defense without sending an opponent to the foul line right now. 28 fouls against Milwaukee, three Sixers each with at least five fouls. 32 fouls against the Raptors, three Sixers each with at least five fouls again.
- If the offense is going to struggle this mightily without Joel Embiid and Paul George, you need to basically pitch a perfect game on defense. If you don't, you're down in the basement with the lottery teams as long as those two are off the floor. So, I don't care who is or is not available for the Raptors, if you get out-rebounded by 20, the talent disparity on paper does not matter. You need to do all the little things when Embiid and George are out. Leave no stone unturned.
- A Scott Foster and Tony Brothers back-to-back to start the season. Wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy (yes, I would).
The Sixers (0-2) will visit the Indiana Pacers (1-1) on Sunday. Tip-off is scheduled for 3:30 p.m., Eastern time. You can catch the action on NBC Sports Philadelphia.
