With Joel Embiid sidelined, the Philadelphia 76ers' depleted backcourt depth is forcing Tyrese Maxey into grueling minutes, leaving him gassed when the Sixers need fourth-quarter heroics most.
That was the right message from PHLY’s Kyle Neubeck, because the bigger issue in this Knicks series is not just how much Maxey is scoring but how the Philadelphia 76ers are asking him to do everything in the absence of Joel Embiid. In Game 2, Maxey played nearly 47 minutes and finished with 26 points and six assists, but the Sixers still fell 108-102 after New York went on a late-game surge.
Maxey’s conditioning isn’t what’s being called into question, as he has played a heavy amount of minutes all season as the 76ers' primary scorer. The issue is the lack of reliable point guard depth behind him.
Philadelphia traded Jared McCain at the deadline and later waived Cameron Payne, leaving the roster thin on true ball handlers. McCain was averaging 6.6 points and 1.7 assists before being moved to Oklahoma City. While these averages seem low, the young guard had displayed promise in his rookie year and was battling back from a season-ending injury.
Furthermore, a recent 18-point outing against the Los Angeles Lakers shows that he can contribute valuable minutes to a playoff team. Payne, on the other hand, had originally been re-signed specifically to help ease Maxey’s workload during the regular season but got hurt and was eventually released to make space for forward Dalen Terry.
Now, the Sixers are paying for that lack of depth. Maxey has become the team’s primary creator in the halfcourt and their best transition weapon. That is manageable in short bursts, but over a long playoff run it becomes counterproductive. By the fourth quarter of Game 2, New York’s arguable best defensive player Mikal Bridges was honing in on Maxey, and the exhaustion was obvious. Maxey scored only seven points after halftime and went 2-for-8 in the fourth quarter.
There are still alternatives Nick Nurse could explore. Paul George can handle more secondary initiation responsibilities earlier in games. V.J. Edgecombe has shown flashes as a downhill creator and transition ball handler, and giving the rookie some more reps could ease the burden Maxey is shouldering.
Right now, the Sixers are stuck in a dangerous cycle: they need Maxey at full speed to compete, but they are asking him to play so much that he no longer has enough energy to finish games at that same level. Something needs to change if the 76ers intend on climbing out of the 2-0 hole they are in, as Maxey has shown he can’t play and be productive for an entire 48-minute game and shouldn't have to in the first place.
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Wes Dixon is a contributing writer to 76ersRoundtable. He can be reached at dixonwesley286@gmail.com.