Marc Lebryk
Tyrese Maxey scored 38 points in the second half to lead the Sixers to their first victory of the season in an overtime thriller against the Indiana Pacers.
Here's what I saw.
- You're convincing yourself that Guerschon Yabusele is a valuable glue guy with each passing game. His jumper leaves a lot to be desired, at least right now. But, that guy crashed the glass on both ends, shutting down Indiana possessions and creating additional opportunities for Philadelphia. He has a good sense for his teammates' misses, out-running the Pacers to the rim on an Eric Gordon miss, tip-toeing the baseline to keep the play alive and finding Maxey for a corner three.
If there's a loose ball on the floor, Yabusele is getting his hands involved to junk it up and jar it free. Or, he's putting his body at risk with a dive to the hardwoods to secure it himself. Every rotation needs a dirty work guy, and that might just be him for the Sixers.
- The things that Eric Gordon did in the first half were probably more of an indictment on the Pacers' defense than a real credit to him. Nonetheless, after an awful first two games, Gordon was sensational in his hometown return. He pump-faked at the foul line and then dimed Kelly Oubre Jr. for a finish on the baseline cut. He ran a give-and-go for a layup and got a few Pacers off balance for blow-bys and finishes at the rim. He also got back to the basics that got him here, lining up a pair of deep triples en route to 12 points in the first half.
- Rare for a Sixers rookie to get minutes beyond garbage time in this day and age, but Jared McCain had some quality minutes in a short run in the first half. Got the put-back on an offensive rebound, used a gorgeous hesitation move on TJ McConnell in transition before taking it all the way for a finger roll and was relatively connected when defending screens. He even stood Pascal Siakam up on defense in the third quarter, denying him a drive out of a post-up and forcing a turnover out of bounds.
- Everything you will read about Maxey beyond this bullet point is reflective of a rough first half. Par for the course for his first two games of the season. But, the 'Likes' would be incomplete without giving him credit for the second half. He stayed remarkably resilient through the ups and downs of the first half, coming out of the break with some fire.
It started at the foul line, Maxey seeing the ball go through a few times in the third quarter after going frigid in the first two quarters. And then, he saw a couple of runners and layups go down. Suddenly, he wore the emotions on his face in a way he usually does not. The frustration was oozing out of him in a productive way and you could feel things turning for him.
Once Philadelphia clawed back to tie the game up late in the third quarter, Maxey's jumper came back to him. He got gratuitous bounces in the midrange and started getting clean net from beyond the arc. Even after Tyrese Haliburton hit a ridiculous three to send the game to overtime, Maxey didn't run out of gas or spirit. It was just an extra five minutes of carrying the team to him.
Save for a three-point attempt that I did not like, he grew increasingly calculated as the overtime session wore on. One of his final scores of the game was an isolation in which he toggled through multiple switches to get the matchup he liked. He knew the Pacers were hedging and that he had an open path to the basket if he just got around the screen defender. He cleared Siakam and took it all the way to the hoop for what was essentially an unguarded layup to all but ice the game.
- Maxey talked about shot quality in training camp, and then absolutely shredded defenses in the preseason with decisive downhill attacks and sharp moves to create space for his three-point game. But, his shot quality has suffered with heightened attention on the scouting report in this first week of the regular season.
It's only partially an indictment on him because his playmaking efforts have seen mixed results even if it's true that he's trying to take some necessary risks as a passer. But, the passing is neither prolific nor impactful enough to outweigh his struggles as a scorer.
Right now, you can see teams playing him as a scorer. They're top-locking on screens to deny him touches above the break, where he ostensibly has more room to create. The Pacers followed the trend the Sixers' first two opponents established, frustrating Maxey with high pressure when he got touches above the break and then fighting like hell to deny him off the ball.
The byproduct, as it was often in the first two games, was Maxey rushing to get shots off when he did finally get the ball.
To be clear, zero problem with the best player available calling his own number. But, you have to take responsibility for the shots you're choosing.
A pull-up three is fine in a vacuum. But, when it's off balance and early in the clock (thus, no real effort to survey the floor), it's questionable. And when Maxey hasn't settled for difficult pull-up threes, he's trying to take on entire defenses at the rim to no avail.
The midrange game has been emphasized. Nick Nurse has talked about understanding when to concede that getting to the rim might not be the best option in any given matchup. To contribute to the issue, Maxey is missing jumpers short right now. He still has burst, so I find it hard to believe it's a leg issue. My bet would be that his grip on the ball is compromised by that thumb contusion he suffered late in the preseason. But, that's even more of a reason to be a little more selective with your shots.
To his credit, Maxey has not totally abandoned the midrange game. He's having some footwork issues as he gets more comfortable with it, but he's not blind to those spots on the floor right now. He's just not quick enough to diagnose his own woes and adjust on the fly.
- As rough as the offense has been for Maxey, the defensive decisions and mindfulness have been worse. He got punished by Milwaukee for failing to keep his head on a swivel, surrendering a back cut and a seal in the paint. His decisions were poorly timed against Indiana, Maxey attempting to help on the blind side before teammates could rotate to his man to prevent open cuts. If it's not bad communication, it's bad timing. And if his offense is going to sputter out of the gate, the defense needs to be much better.
- I like Caleb Martin as a secondary ball-handler, but we've seen way too much of him dribbling thus far. I get it, he has to do a little more with Joel Embiid and Paul George out. But, some of the dribbling is just wasting away the shot clock. Compounding the issue, his handle is not the tightest. He can navigate a pick-and-roll here and get a little creative with his attack there. But, he's not making quick decisions with the ball right now and the dribbling is largely inconsequential.
- I had been thinking this for some time, but wasn't quite sure until this game...Andre Drummond's hands are exponentially better now than they were the first time he was a Sixer. Not only does he control the ball better on rebounds and in the paint, but he made a couple of critical defensive plays down the stretch to shut down Indiana possessions before they could even get a shot off. Huge moments from him in this game.
- If I'm both teams, I'm furious at the officiating in this game. For Indiana's side, there were numerous whistles after misses. That means the officials let the shot dictate whether they called the foul. Garbage.
For the Sixers' side, the airball that was not a shot clock violation, followed by a technical foul on Nurse for arguing, was ludicrous. Total bush league behavior by the stripes. And then to forget the count on the fouls, let Maxey go to the foul line on an intentional grab late in overtime and then call it back for a sideline out-of-bounds because there was still a foul to give, what the hell are we doing here?
- This is going to sound insane, but I am pro fouling up by two. If the game has to go to double overtime, let Maxey be the one to take the shot to decide that. Don't get your heart broken by some random three-point luck for the Pacers at the end of the first overtime. Worst case scenario, you get the final shot to walk off or play five more minutes.
The Sixers (1-2) will host the Detroit Pistons (0-3) on Wednesday. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m., Eastern time. You can watch the game on NBC Sports Philadelphia.
