Inside Sixers: Tyrese Maxey’s lessons, Andre Drummond’s pressure and, finally, a victory

Tyrese Maxey halted a question about the 76ers finally making shots with a chuckle.

“I ain’t gonna lie, it felt good to win,” the Sixers’ All-Star point guard said Friday, after the Sixers topped the Brooklyn Nets, 113-98. “I’m not going to sit here and talk about making shots. We played so hard, offensively and defensively, [and] played together. Guys stuck together.”

One victory over the subpar Nets does not erase that the Sixers lost 12 of their first 14 games, and did not record a regulation victory until the 2024-25 season was nearly a month old.

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But Friday brought welcomed relief during a week that had been defined by a lengthy postgame meeting in Miami, then Joel Embiid popping off about details of said meeting being leaked to media outlets, then injury absences (again) from Embiid and newcomer Paul George. The Embiid situation remains dicey, as swelling in his left knee caused him to miss Friday’s game and will keep him sidelined through at least Sunday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers.

Still, the Sixers’ locker-room speaker blasted hip-hop music following Friday’s shorthanded win, largely thanks to 56 points from the budding guard duo of Maxey and still-scorching rookie Jared McCain along with a defense that parlayed 19 Nets turnovers into 28 points. Then, Maxey reiterated a message he had shared earlier in the week, noting it was part of that meeting in Miami.

“It’s been a constant theme over the past 14 games: teams go on a run, and we laid down and we just let them continue pressing on,” Maxey said. “Today, they went on a run. [We] called timeout, and we did what we were supposed to do: We hit them back. Punched them right back, and now we’re right back in the game.”

Here are some more behind-the-scenes nuggets from another interesting week during the Sixers’ clunky start.

Andre Drummond sat on the floor of Miami’s Kaseya Center court following Monday’s pregame warm-up, bouncing a ball with his young daughter, Aubrey.

That was an instant mood boost, the veteran center said. And he hopes to carry more of that joy into his play, acknowledging he has been “putting too much pressure on myself” during a rough individual start while Embiid has been sidelined for 11 of the Sixers’ first 15 games.

“It’s something that I’ve got to do better with,” Drummond told The Inquirer from shootarond in Memphis on Wednesday. “Just get out of my head and play more freely. … [I’ve been] trying to do everything perfectly, instead of just playing the game the way it’s supposed to be played.”

» READ MORE: Jared McCain and Tyrese Maxey’s big nights stop Sixers’ losing streak at five with win over Nets

Drummond received the same critique from coach Nick Nurse, which he first delivered in front of the team and then repeated publicly during his news conference before Monday’s game in Miami. Drummond entered Friday averaging 8.5 points and 8.9 rebounds in 13 games, but his shooting numbers are down and the eye test indicates he has not been the same interior force on either end of the floor.

“I’m trying to get him to relax a little bit out there and have some enjoyment playing,” Nurse said of Drummond. “It looks a little bit like it’s too much hard work for him right now, rather than enjoyment. He’s, like, the best dude ever. I’m trying to get him to take some of that same character and attitude to the game and enjoy it a little bit.”

Still, Drummond’s role has continued to fluctuate in recent games. With Embiid ruled out against the Nets Friday, Nurse opted to start Guerschon Yabusele at center. Drummond, though, finished with 10 points and six rebounds in 16 reserve minutes, including a thunderous alley-oop finish from McCain and multiple opportunities to finish when barreling down the lane.

Even before that lengthy postgame meeting, Monday was bizarre for the Sixers because of the ever-changing health status for Embiid. He entered that day against listed as questionable to play against the Heat because of an illness, then doubtful after he missed shootarond, then available to play following a pregame warmup.

That all came after Embiid was a full participant in Sunday’s practice, which was believed to be a positive sign for his ongoing post-surgery knee condition. So following that team session, the Sixers put rookie center Adem Bona on an airplane to Atlanta to join the G League’s Delaware Blue Coats for their game against the College Park Skyhawks.

Bona arrived late Sunday because of a flight delay, then went through a walkthrough with the Blue Coats the following morning. Then, the Sixers notified Bona that he immediately needed to fly back to Miami to be their emergency big-man option against the Heat, in case Embiid was unable to play.

Bona was on the Kaseya Center floor by 5:15 p.m., as the first Sixer to go through their pregame warmup. While drilling hook shots and down-the-lane dunks, player development coach Fabulous Flournoy reminded Bona that, if he got in the game that night, he might be matched up against All-Star and Olympian Bam Adebayo. A last-minute film session then awaited Bona when he got back to the locker room.

“I was just asking the [Blue Coats] guys, ‘Have you guys experienced this before?’” Bona said of the chaotic back-and-forth trip. “And they were like, ‘Yeah, this is normal.’ … I flew all the way there just for a practice.”

Such is life for the 2024 second-round draft pick, who is expected to toggle between the Sixers and G League this season. Those plane trips came after Bona had played in a Blue Coats game the previous Monday in Wilmington, then drove back to Philly to receive his first significant NBA minutes on Wednesday against a Cleveland Cavaliers team anchored by frontcourt stars Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen.

“This is what I signed up for,” Bona told his brother earlier this week, “so I can’t complain.”

As the Sixers huddled for last Friday’s tipoff in Orlando, Ricky Council IV and Reggie Jackson were at the center of the group. They were a second-year player and veteran whose minutes have been sporadic so far this season, yet are still trying to bring some positive energy to their teammates.

“That’s what we get paid to do,” Council told The Inquirer. “We’re not getting paid to score. We’re not get paid to play every night. They want us on the team. If they didn’t want us, we wouldn’t be here. So we’re going to do whatever we can to impact the game, if it’s cheering, bringing some positive energy, all that.”

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Both players’ opportunity arrived later in the week, when a hip injury to Kyle Lowry left a void at point guard and Nurse began searching for players who could provide a spark during Wednesday’s game at the Memphis Grizzlies.

Council responded with two rim-rocking dunks, which prompted Maxey to holler, “Come on, Ricky!” from the bench. Then, Jackson had nine points on 3-of-7 shooting from three-point range and two assists in Friday’s victory over the Nets.

Maxey’s leadership has been a popular topic since training camp, and has clearly manifested in his blossoming relationship with McCain.

While still sidelined with a hamstring injury during last Friday’s loss at Orlando, Maxey pulled McCain over to the sideline for early pointers on how to handle the physicality of being guarded by rugged defender Jalen Suggs. In Memphis, Maxey offered tips about how hitting Embiid with pocket passes would open up more scoring space for McCain.

It was also apparent when they sat together during Friday’s news conference, and McCain was asked about television cameras catching him yelling “I’m the Rookie of the Year!” following a big bucket during his 30-point outburst.

McCain initially tried to coyly deny those words, saying, “I don’t know what came to my mind at that moment, but I guess I said that.”

“You guess?!” Maxey replied.

“Yeah, I did say that. I did. It was pretty clear,” McCain acknowledged.

“There we go,” Maxey assured his teammate.