DETROIT – Some days it’s endless energy and a big smile, other days it’s taking your teammates to task after a bad loss.
But on a snowy Saturday morning in Detroit, Tyrese Maxey was belting out old-school Motown tunes to pump up his energy for the Philadelphia 76ers’ shootaround. The music was explosive, and Maxey, who wasn’t born until 2000, some 30 years after Motown’s heyday, kept going as if the hits had come out yesterday.
“My grandmothers, man,” he said.
There’s a maturity in Maxey that belies an energy that accepts responsibility for the 76ers’ woes, though no one in their right mind would dare say they’re not holding up their end of the bargain.
That night, Paul George returned after a three-game absence; his debut in Philadelphia was riddled with injuries that undermined the excitement the franchise had started the season with. Joel Embiid missed Saturday’s game, as he has many others, with knee ailments that have dogged his career and likely will continue to do so well into his 30s.
That leaves Maxey as the lone star trying to keep the 76ers afloat, as only the Washington Wizards, New Orleans Pelicans and Utah Jazz have worse records to date.
Maxey was supposed to be part of a top, well-rounded unit, a sound change of direction from the thoughtful George and the plodding Embiid. He now moves to the top of the scouting report every night.
“I wouldn’t say I’m going to slide into anything,” Maxey told Yahoo Sports. “I had a special season last year, so I knew after Joel I was right there at the top. But Maxey acknowledges he has to play differently when Embiid and George are out of the lineup while also adjusting to the new guys on the court. “So we have to figure out how we want to play, who fits with who. That takes time.”
But it’s too late for the 76ers. Four of the next eight games will be against strong teams: the surprising Orlando Magic (twice), the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers and the champion Boston Celtics on Christmas Day.
“I don’t think we can go much further (down) than we are right now,” Maxey said. “Honestly, the only way we can go is up. It will be up to us. I think we’ve gotten better, man. We really competed in the last three games.”
That’s the bar now, compete, at least until the 76ers figure out how to put things together with Embiid’s situation, which seems to be in flux. The minus-7 point differential on the night is consistent with a 4-14 record, and when frustrations reached an inflection point two weeks ago when the 76ers blew a 19-point lead and lost by 17 to Miami, it was Maxey who spoke at an impromptu team meeting.
According to sources, the 24-year-old guard urged Embiid to come on time and take this season as seriously as they expect him to. Maybe it should have been head coach Nick Nurse or team president Daryl Morey, but Maxey felt compelled.
“I feel like the reason why when I say things it kind of travels is because I work extremely hard,” Maxey said. “I work really hard, man. Everything I say comes from a good place. All I want is to win. I don’t care about anything else, honestly. All the individual awards, all the other things that don’t mean anything to me if we don’t win.”
Maxey led the league in minutes per game before injuring his hamstring against the Los Angeles Clippers on Nov. 6. Naturally, his effectiveness was affected by the extra load, so when he returned, the 76ers put him on a minutes restriction and “It didn’t sit well with me,” Maxey said.
“As much as I can play, I’m going to play,” Maxey said. “I’m trying to do other things, not on match days – I have to scale back a bit because I want to play on the floor when it matters. I will always give 110 percent.”
His first game on Nov. 20 was rocky, but in the four since, production hasn’t been an issue. After the interview, he continued to walk (27.5 points on 47-50-92 splits with 6.3 assists and 3.3 steals).
“It’s his team,” 76ers center Andre Drummond told Yahoo Sports before modifying his statement. “Him and Joel’s team. They’ve been here the longest, they’ve elevated this team over the years they’ve been here. It’s good to see our quarterback being loud. Tyrese isn’t one to talk a lot, he puts it into his game. So it’s great to hear him say certain things to certain guys and make demands. He makes demands on me too. He wants to see the next guy be great.”
Even if those demands are placed on Embiid, the cornerstone of the franchise. Drummond said Maxey doesn’t hesitate to stop coaching and correct teammates if he doesn’t do something right.
“The maturity was huge. It’s much louder. He speaks his mind,” Drummond said. “Just watching him grow as a leader has been amazing.”
It’s important to remember that Maxey, who signed his rookie extension this summer, waited all year for the 76ers to preserve the salary cap space to sign George with the Clippers. He would have the right to lock up his own future and not risk injury or anything else that happens in the meantime.
While it’s a bit scary when a player has a victim like that in real time, it certainly gives his words a lot more weight in the locker room. So while he makes sure to keep everyone else’s spirits up, Maxey also has to keep his glass full.
“Honestly, I’m blessed now. I’m very happy to be able to play basketball,” Maxey said. “The few weeks I couldn’t play, I was down. I was upset. Because it hurts, man, you can’t be out there with your teammates and try to go out there and go to war with them, help them win games.
“So you never hear me complain. Man, I always try to bring positive energy and have fun doing it.”