Tyrese Maxey ‘just OK’ in return from concussion for Sixers’ sputtering offense

NEW YORK — While Tyrese Maxey was eating with his family in Dallas hours after the 76ers’ March 3 win over the Mavericks, the light in the room made him feel like his equilibrium was off. And while he chatted with his mother, Denyse, her words were “kind of going [in] one ear and out the other,” Tyrese said.

Maxey was still foggy the following morning, and while the Sixers traveled to New York City for a March 5 game against the Brooklyn Nets. By the time he arrived at Barclays Center for practice, Maxey told head athletic trainer Kevin Johnson, “Something ain’t right.”

That led to further testing that revealed Maxey had suffered a concussion when he took a blow to the back of the head during that Dallas game, which then kept the All-Star point guard out of the Sixers’ next four matchups. He cleared protocol in time to play in Tuesday’s blowout loss to the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden, finishing with 17 points on 6-of-14 shooting and four assists in a performance coach Nick Nurse defined as “just OK.”

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Maxey’s next assignment is to regain his in-game conditioning and rhythm for a Sixers team that has failed to reach 80 points in its last two games, and is trying to hang in a tight Eastern Conference playoff seeding race.

“It’s hard, because nothing’s wrong with your actual body,” Maxey said of his time in protocol. “You want to be out there, but you know something’s wrong with you. … That was a difficult one for me, but I’m happy I’m able to go back out there and fight with my teammates.”

Maxey said that was the first concussion of his life, and called the symptoms a “very weird feeling.”

Among the tests Maxey needed to clear protocol and get back on the court were a memory exercise with cards, a simple ability when healthy that he said he previously took for granted. He progressed to physical activity such as treadmill runs and on-court workouts, moving from solo drills, to one-on-one sessions, to a full-contact practice. He eventually rejoined the Sixers on the bench, which helped him get re-acclimated to the loud in-game noises that he had been sensitive to while concussed.

Although Maxey was “trying to go as hard as I possibly can, within the limitations” during recent workouts, he could not fully simulate the intensity of game repetitions.

That’s why, during the Sixers’ first timeout Tuesday, Maxey said he felt uncharacteristically tired. He also did the bulk of his scoring during that opening frame with 10 points, blending getting to the basket and firing from beyond the three-point arc.

Later, Maxey’s third-quarter three-pointer cut the Knicks’ lead to 71-61. But after New York swiftly stretched that advantage back out to an insurmountable margin, Maxey did not play the fourth quarter. Nurse added that Maxey did “not [have] much of an impact at the defensive end,” on a night when the Knicks shot 50.6% from the floor.

“But that’s OK,” Nurse added. “At least he’s back out there playing.”

Maxey, who is averaging a career-high 25.9 points and 6.2 assists per game, has come back to an offense still searching for consistent punch without reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Joel Embiid.

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The Sixers shot 37.5% from the floor Tuesday, including 8-of-33 from three-point range. Though the numbers were similarly ugly in Sunday’s 79-73 throwback victory in New York, Nurse said he was generally happier with the shots the Sixers generated in that first meeting. During Tuesday’s rematch, the Knicks’ increased physicality made it difficult for the Sixers to set screens and gain separation for clean looks.

Still, Maxey’s return should provide a needed boost. While in the locker room before Sunday’s game, onlookers eyeballed a large garbage bag of popcorn sitting on a table. Though that is usually Maxey’s game-day snack of choice, he deprived himself by saying, “No play, no popcorn.”

After Tuesday’s loss, a staffer walked in with an identically massive popcorn bag. Though it’s unclear if Maxey eventually indulged, that the All-Star had passed a final, self-imposed test was a positive step for the Sixers.

“This team needs him,” said teammate Buddy Hield.