Tyrese Maxey sets the tone and still paces the new-look Sixers in Knicks win: ‘Tyrese was Tyrese.”
Maxey scored 28 points to nearly match last season’s average, and added five assists, three steals, and three blocks.
NEW YORK — Tyrese Maxey set the 76ers’ tone with two quick three-pointers. The explosive point guard was the steady force when the offense turned clunky. And he sealed the victory over the defending-champion New York Knicks with a late steal and dunk.
There was so much intrigue entering Tuesday’s Sixers opener at Madison Square Garden about how megastars LeBron James and Jaylen Brown would begin to acclimate to their new team. But there was Maxey, still scoring 28 points to nearly match last season’s average — and adding five assists, three steals, and three blocks — in a 106-100 victory.
“Tyrese was Tyrese,” James matter-of-factly said after the game.
It was the first step for Maxey coming off his latest career season, when he ranked fifth in the NBA in scoring and made an All-NBA team for the first time. And that he looked like himself against this particular opponent was noteworthy, after acknowledging back then that the Knicks’ relentless trapping defense during last spring’s playoff sweep “made it tough on me. I can’t even sit here and lie.”
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But on this loaded roster — which also still features a healthier Joel Embiid — it was reasonable to wonder if Maxey could (or should) replicate those numbers. After spending his first six NBA seasons demonstrating how his talent could be applied to a variety of roles, Maxey said during the preseason that he most cared about winning. Personal trainer Drew Hanlen also told The Inquirer that they focused their offseason workouts on improving Maxey’s balance and efficiency, instead of upping statistical goals.
Tuesday night, Embiid praised Maxey for keeping the Sixers “afloat” with a 16-point first half while others struggled to make shots. In their first time sharing the court as teammates, James was most impressed with Maxey’s stamina, noting that the speedster who last season led the NBA in minutes per game will need to “continuously put pressure on the defense.” Being a “legit” defensive playmaker — including leaping up to snatch the ball from Finals MVP Jalen Brunson and drawing the foul on the opposite end — continues to be a point of pride for Maxey, again playfully mocking the media with “I told y’all that” he could be impactful on that end.
And when the Sixers next watch film, Maxey knows he is going to “probably get in a little trouble” for passing up a couple three-point opportunities.
“It’s my job,” Maxey said. “They’ve all been on me about being aggressive. Every last one of them.”
Added Embiid: “He passed up a few, which I got on him. You should never pass up a shot. I don’t care if it’s contested or open. Just shoot it. Just let it fly. We got you.”
» READ MORE: Joel Embiid vows to play at an All-Defensive level and elevate the Sixers after win beating the Knicks
At nearly 26 years old, Maxey is still ascending into his prime. He also has never made it out of the playoffs’ second round. That’s why he welcomes the championship pedigree of James, Brown, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and wants to learn how to “keep stacking days” on an NBA title pursuit.
Yet while holding off the most recent champions, the Sixers leaned into the reliable Maxey-Embiid two-man game. Maxey got downhill and finished through contact, flexing near the Knicks’ bench after one whistle. And when New York’s OG Anunoby attempted to sling a cross-court pass to Mikal Bridges with less than two minutes to play, Maxey intercepted the ball, flushed the fastbreak dunk to give the Sixers a six-point lead, and hung on the rim.
“Whenever Tyrese darts into the lane and steals one,” Nurse said, “I’m not that surprised.”
In other words, Tyrese was Tyrese. Even for these new-look Sixers, in their highly anticipated season opener at the defending champions.
