Nick Nurse still ‘trying to work through’ Sixers’ backup point guard minutes
With Jared McCain and Kyle Lowry injured, Jeff Dowtin Jr. and Reggie Jackson have handled those reserve ballhandler minutes, while putting a heavy workload on Tyrese Maxey.
The first questions posed during Nick Nurse’s pregame news conference were about a player who never stepped on the court Friday.
Yet the trickle-down effects of rookie standout Jared McCain’s meniscus surgery — which the 76ers announced on Thursday night would officially end his 2024-25 season — were apparent during a brutal 123-115 loss to the shorthanded, lowly New Orleans Pelicans at the Wells Fargo Center, the Sixers’ fourth defeat in their past six games to squash any momentum gained during a holiday surge.
McCain was in the early stages of being molded into a backup point guard, after instantly flashing an ability to score and make plays with the ball in his hands while averaging 15.3 points and 2.6 assists in 23 games as an NBA Rookie of the Year frontrunner. Now add that veteran Kyle Lowry also remains sidelined with a hip issue. That means the Sixers must currently rely on two-way player Jeff Dowtin Jr. and veteran Reggie Jackson to handle those reserve ballhandler minutes — and put a heavy workload on All-Star Tyrese Maxey.
“I’m trying to explore that and be a little creative,” Nurse said when asked how comfortable he is with the current setup. " … I’m really trying to work through it.”
Dowtin (two points) and Jackson (seven points) logged a combined 12 minutes Friday, primarily as a first-half tandem that Nurse hinted he would try again versus New Orleans. Both players mostly found success going to the basket, such as when Dowtin used a Guerschon Yabusele screen to get downhill against two defenders, or when Jackson grabbed a rebound and took it the opposite way for a score.
Then a two-minute stretch arrived for Jackson late in the third quarter, when he hit a three-pointer but the Pelicans extended a four-point advantage to nine before pulling away in the final period. Dowtin, meanwhile, did not play in the second half. Neither player recorded an assist in the game. And Maxey (along with fellow starters Paul George and Kelly Oubre Jr.) played the entire fourth quarter, finishing with 30 points, 12 assists, and six rebounds.
Nurse acknowledged that the 34-year-old Jackson’s stints “are going to be pretty short,” but added he still believes in the player’s ability to “throw in a three-[pointer] or two here or there” and initiate offense. Jackson, who is now in his 14th NBA season but first with the Sixers, said leaning into his basketball instincts can help him “make it simple” while sliding into more playing time.
» READ MORE: Sixers feel Jared McCain’s pain after rookie is ruled out for season with knee injury
The coach is more outwardly encouraging Dowtin, a 27-year-old who so far appears to be a quintessential “tweener” who is way too talented for the G League but not quite capable of sticking in an NBA rotation. Nurse said he recently joked with Dowtin, who also played for the coach with the Toronto Raptors, about averaging 26.6 points on 54.9% shooting in 12 games for the Delaware Blue Coats this season.
“Can you save, like, six or eight for when we bring you back up?” Nurse mused. Maxey echoed that sentiment, saying, “I see what [Dowtin] does in the ‘G.’”
“I’m like, ‘Bro, when you come in, just be aggressive. Be yourself,” Maxey added. “We’re all going to make mistakes. I make mistakes every single [day]. Jo [Embiid], Paul, everybody makes mistakes.
“We just want you to go in there and be aggressive [and] not just look for your shot. Get in the paint, and look for others and run the team with confidence.”
An array of injuries plagued the Sixers Friday, as they have throughout a severely disappointing 15-21 season. Embiid and fellow center Andre Drummond missed the game, shifting the undersized Yabusele and rookie Adem Bona into the minutes at that position. KJ Martin, who has been a pleasant surprise at wing, remains out with a stress fracture in his foot.
The recovery timeline is unclear for Lowry, whom Nurse said is receiving “a little more aggressive” treatment on his hip injury that is now being described as a sprain instead of soreness. Though the 38-year-old Lowry is shooting a disappointing 35.6% from the floor this season — likely a reason Nurse said “I didn’t think it was going that well” while reflecting on the backup point guard situation in the immediate aftermath of McCain’s injury — he remains a steady hand and ready-to-chat resource to Nurse and teammates.
Perhaps most important is how all of this impacts Maxey, who after Friday’s game moved up to third in the NBA in average minutes per game (37.4) and has surpassed 40 in six of his past 10 appearances.
The 24-year-old — whose shooting percentages had dipped to 42.1 from the floor and 33.8 from beyond the arc before Friday’s 10-for-21 (2-for-9) outing — is familiar with such a workload, ranking second in the NBA in minutes last season (37.5) and playing significant stretches as the top offensive option, while Embiid was sidelined for two months following knee surgery. He assured he feels good about his recovery and lifting regimen designed to maintain strength and durability. Yet he also acknowledged earlier this week that fatigue most creeps in during back-to-backs, which the Sixers face in each of the upcoming five weeks before the mid-February All-Star break.
That all means a younger, complementary ballhandler could be a priority for the Sixers heading into the Feb. 6 trade deadline, as a team still trying to pull out of its dreadful start and inch toward .500 and the play-in mix.
For now, they must lean on Dowtin and Jackson to play that role.
“I can definitely be very valuable,” Dowtin said. ‘I’m just trying to stay aggressive when my name is called. Lead that second unit. Try to orchestrate guys. Try to get guys in the right spot, and just try to play fast.”