De’Anthony Melton’s return adds to Sixers’ ‘limitless’ options for new-look backcourt

Tyrese Maxey noticed the cell phone in the middle of the media scrum inside the 76ers’ locker room, then immediately recognized De’Anthony Melton’s voice through the speakers.

“You’re unbelievable, bro!” the All-Star guard hollered into the phone, in a playfully scolding tone. “You know who this is, too. You know you got media. It’s your first game back. Hey, at least your phone was on this time.”

The Sixers’ 104-97 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night doubled as Melton’s return from a spine issue that kept him out of all but two games since Jan. 2. Yet the backcourt he now joins has been recently revamped, first by trading for Buddy Hield and Cameron Payne and then by signing veteran Kyle Lowry in the buyout market.

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That makes deciphering that portion of the Sixers’ personnel puzzle one of coach Nick Nurse’s more immediate tasks, as they aim to solidify an identity without reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Joel Embiid.

“The combinations that Coach Nurse can throw out there are limitless,” Maxey said. “You have a lot of various things. … [Nurse] will do a good job with that. I’m glad that’s not my job.”

Complementary ballhandling and playmaking was a sometimes-overlooked weakness during the Sixers’ hot start prior to Embiid’s knee surgery, a ripple-effect of the early season James Harden trade that successfully elevated Maxey into the lead guard role. Patrick Beverley held the backup spot until he was dealt to the Milwaukee Bucks — coincidentally, Sunday’s opponent — at the Feb. 8 trade deadline, while Melton served as an combo guard and even starting forward Nico Batum provided passing, especially into the post and on inbound plays.

Yet reinforcements have arrived. Lowry, the six-time All-Star and Philly native, totaled 11 points, five assists, and four rebounds in a strong debut Thursday, then sat Friday’s game on the second night of a back-to-back while continuing to ramp up his conditioning. That paved the way for Payne’s big night off the bench against the Cavaliers, with 16 points on 4-of-6 shooting from long range. Hield, who has slid into the starting spot alongside Maxey, buried what became the game-winning three-pointer Friday night to cap a 13-point performance. And Melton finished with seven points in his return, with Nurse adding “that’s as athletic as he’s looked in a long time — maybe two months.”

Melton hit a pull-up three-pointer shortly after entering for the first time about midway through the first quarter. He later converted an up-and-under finish off a feed from Payne early in the fourth. And though the sixth-year veteran acknowledged some nerves about getting hit while playing at game speed, he said two second-half tumbles “felt good to actually hit the floor and respond well.” Though Melton was averaging a career-high 11.8 points per game prior to the injury, he will also be tasked with returning to the defensive activity that put him near the top of the NBA in steals (1.6 per game) and deflections prior to the injury.

“Now, it’s pretty much just mentally and just staying on top of my rehab,” Melton said.

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Payne, meanwhile, is getting re-acclimated to having the ball in his hands, after falling out of the Bucks’ rotation before being traded to the Sixers. Nurse appreciates the way Payne navigates pick and rolls, either to get into the paint for kick-out passes or to pull up from deep when the defender goes under the screen. He made 4-of-6 three-point attempts in the first half, propelling him to score 13 points before the break.

“Them threes feel good, man, when you get to take your time and knock it down,” Payne. “And it kind of got me going. … Honestly, I’m just a ‘whatever-you-need-right-now’ kind of guy. If guys [are] out, I’m here. Obviously, I want to be out there. Obviously, I want to keep showing the league that I’m a pretty good player.

“But our team is stacked, man.”

Once Lowry and Melton get their conditioning back, Nurse is eager to further tinker with backcourt combinations. The coach deployed two three-guard looks — one with Maxey, Melton, and Payne, and another with Maxey, Hield, and Payne — against the Cavaliers. That Melton and Lowry are capable of guarding bigger players offers even more flexibility.

Those lineups can also help Maxey play stretches off the ball, a benefit he confirmed without hesitation when asked about it Friday. He witnessed that from the opposite side while playing alongside James Harden, when Maxey “was able to hold it down” as the primary ballhandler when defenders pressured Harden up the court. That also offers all those players more catch-and-shoot opportunities, Melton said.

“Sometimes, you need a break,” added Maxey, who entered Friday averaging a career-high 25.9 points and 6.4 assists while playing 37.3 minutes per game.

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Perhaps those blows helped keep Maxey fresh for Friday’s fourth-quarter outburst. He scored 15 of his 24 points in that final frame on a mixture of difficult shots and free throws, and dished the assist to Hield for his crucial three-pointer that put the Sixers up by eight with 31.3 seconds to play.

“He was having one of those games where we were getting a good dose of offense from some other people and he was OK with that,” Nurse said of Maxey. “But I said at the half, ‘We’re in good shape here, because Tyrese hasn’t really engaged offensively yet, and I’m pretty sure he’s going to.’

“[He] obviously made a lot of big buckets down the stretch. I think he did it right. He had some other guys going [that] got him off the ball some. … He just threw it in gear at the right time.”

After the game, though, Maxey’s eyes lit up when asked about the return of “De’Anthony Melton stuff” to a now-loaded backcourt.

Even when Melton prematurely slips out of the locker room, forcing him to do his media session on speaker.

“Don’t do that again!” Maxey yelled into the phone. “You haven’t played in seven months!”