Nick Nurse, Tyrese Maxey hope ‘brutally honest’ team meeting serves as step in right direction

MEMPHIS — Tucked away on the back courts of the Memphis Sports & Events Center on Tuesday evening, the 76ers aimed to take the first steps toward putting into practice everything discussed during a lengthy team meeting following Monday’s loss at the Miami Heat.

Coach Nick Nurse said following the session that he liked his players’ pace, their ball and body movement, and their energy. He acknowledged he is trying “heighten the level of focus” and “push that a lot harder.” And he hopes that the Sixers will eventually be able to reflect back on that postgame gathering in Miami as what helped spark a turnaround from a miserable 2-11 start.

“It was pretty brutally honest,” Nurse said. “I think there’s a lot of good dudes in there, [and] a lot of good, hardworking coaches that are in this meeting. Everybody wants the team to succeed, and we’re not. We’re losing, and there’s all kinds of inside, outside [factors]. … We’re just trying to get them all taken care of.

“We knew that we needed to be healthy, and we needed to come together quickly. Neither one of those have happened, but we know that’s our primary thing. We’ve got to keep working to get healthy, get in better shape, get stronger, and we’ve got to keep coming together. I think [Monday] night’s meeting is a big step in that direction.”

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Reports surfaced Tuesday morning with more details about the meeting, including that All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey called out 2023 NBA Most Valuable Player Joel Embiid for consistently being late to team activities.

Maxey did not directly confirm Tuesday that he challenged his teammate and close friend. But when asked what he wanted to share about why he spoke up during the meeting, or what he hoped the group gained from it, he said, “that we’re better than what we’ve shown, and that’s what we’re going to go out there and display.”

A positive development? It is possible the Sixers’ three All-Stars — Maxey, Embiid, and free-agency addition Paul George — could share the floor for the first time during Wednesday’s matchup at the Memphis Grizzlies (8 p.m., NBCSP).

Maxey was upgraded to questionable after missing the past six games with a hamstring strain. Though he was a full participant in Tuesday’s practice, Nurse said, Maxey would play “pretty limited minutes” if he got back on the floor against the Grizzlies.

Maxey is averaging 27.6 points and 3.9 assists in seven games, but he is shooting just 40.6% from the floor and 28.6% from long range while shouldering a heavy offensive load with Embiid and George sidelined during the bulk of those outings. The 24-year-old called it “extremely hard” to sit out as his team struggled, and said he has been emphasizing “the little things that it takes to win” such as understanding the scouting report and knowing where teammates like to receive the ball.

“Yesterday we talked about getting hit in the mouth,” said Maxey, referencing a game when a 19-point Sixers in Miami lead completely flipped into a 20-point deficit. “We hit them in the mouth. They hit us. It’s supposed to be a fight after that.

“We kind of laid down. We’re going to try to be a team that’s not going to do that anymore.”

» READ MORE: Tyrese Maxey reportedly called out Joel Embiid during Sixers’ lengthy postgame team meeting

As a group, Nurse also is attempting to decipher the “head-scratcher” of missing several wide-open shots, especially from three-point distance. Turnovers also remain a sticking point, particularly during the third quarter. The Sixers committed four against the Heat that Miami parlayed into five points in that period, coupled with the Sixers shooting 5-of-17 from the floor and scoring just 16 points.

“That’s lack of execution, focus, toughness, togetherness,” Nurse said. “You can probably pick one of those four things of why the ball gets turned over. I’d certainly much rather have the open shot that doesn’t go in, rather than coughing it up, because a lot of those are turning into pick-sixes.

“Those are really hard to overcome in a game. One or two of those is like, ‘Ohhh, that hurts.’ But when it’s four or five, that’s almost heading towards an ‘L.’”

Nurse also reiterated that he would not have the full scope of the Sixers’ response to Monday’s meeting until they took the floor Wednesday night. But count Maxey among those who are ready to push forward.

“That’s over with,” he said. “We’ve said what we had to say, and now we’re moving on to what’s going to help us in the rest of the season.”

Kyle Lowry, who has been starting at point guard in Maxey’s absence, will miss the next three games with a right hip strain, the team said. He has received an MRI and will be reevaluated next week.

That makes the Sixers’ depth thin at ballhandler, even if Maxey returns Wednesday. Two-way guard Jeff Dowtin Jr. and veteran Reggie Jackson are options at that spot, as is putting the ball more in the hands of impressive rookie Jared McCain.

The 38-year-old Lowry is averaging 6.2 points and 3.4 assists in 13 games, but he has missed his last 12 three-point attempts.