Tyrese Maxey hopes rediscovering ‘spirit’ leads to strong stretch run with Sixers’ second unit

Tyrese Maxey collected the ball following a Paul Reed block, then quickly darted to the right wing to launch the three-pointer that put the 76ers up 19 points about midway through Monday’s fourth quarter against the Houston Rockets.

Maxey was the best version of himself in the Sixers’ 123-104 blowout victory, totaling 26 points, six assists, and five rebounds to record a game-high plus-28. Perhaps that type of performance should be expected against the tanking Rockets, who fell to 13-44. Yet it’s still a positive sign for Maxey, who has shown flashes yet has been inconsistent at times since moving to a sixth-man role nearly a month ago.

The third-year guard hopes rediscovering his signature joy can carry over to the 37-19 Sixers’ final game before the All-Star break Wednesday night against the Cleveland Cavaliers, and then to the season’s stretch run.

“I fixed my spirit,” Maxey said. “I talked to my people and [I’m] just back in a space of having fun. … That’s what helps me help my teammates and helps us win games. The spirit is contagious. When I go out there and I’m having fun, laughing and being energetic, I think it helps my teammates do that same thing as well.”

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In the 13 games since his mid-January move to the Sixers’ second unit — which gives them D’Anthony Melton’s perimeter defense at the start of games and Maxey’s offensive firepower when substitutions begin — Maxey is scoring 17.3 points on 44.6% shooting (36.9% from long range), 2.8 assists, and 2.5 rebounds per game. That stretch has included a 32-point effort in an impressive shorthanded win at the Sacramento Kings and a 27-point outburst in Friday’s victory over the New York Knicks, but also his two worst shooting performances of the season (2-for-11 against the Orlando Magic on Jan. 30 and 3-for-14 against the Boston Celtics last Wednesday).

Monday was a dazzling Maxey night. He made four of his first five shots — including a pull-up three and a steal and breakaway layup — to open up driving lanes to the basket. With teammate P.J. Tucker sidelined with calf tightness, he started the second half and amassed eight points in less than two minutes. Later, he converted a falling shot in the lane to push the Sixers’ lead back to double digits in the waning seconds of the third quarter, before the long ball in the final period.

He also nearly sent the home crowd into a frenzy when he unleashed a slick crossover on Houston’s Usman Garuba, but misfired on the deep shot.

Though Maxey now has a significant NBA sample size as a dangerous scorer, there are also signs that his game is expanding. Coach Doc Rivers said Maxey would not have been able to deliver some of Monday’s passes earlier in the season, a conclusion the guard took playful offense to — “Coach! Come on, man,” he said while chuckling — before earnestly agreeing.

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But Rivers is perhaps most pleased with Maxey’s recent strides on defense, the end of the floor that previously made it difficult to play him alongside James Harden.

Maxey has been pressuring ballhandlers more the length of the court, where his quickness can help him play “big” despite his 6-foot-2 frame, Rivers said. Then once opponents get into their halfcourt offense, Maxey has been challenged to be more physical instead of “surrendering” by putting his arms up and sliding backward. Maxey has also returned to being more comfortable gambling for steals, after he was “scared” to take such risks in college because he believed any blunder would get him pulled off the floor by Kentucky coach John Calipari.

“I’m just trying to find ways to be impactful, be disruptive,” Maxey said. " … [I want to] make guys tired, make them exert energy and exert clock. So now when they get the ball past halfcourt, [there’s 16 or 15 seconds on the shot clock]. Now, you’re getting into the offense with 13 seconds.

“It’s hard to run offense in 13 seconds. You’ve got two, probably one or two passes and you’ve got to shoot.”

Though Rivers said he was never concerned about Maxey’s recent mini offensive rut, the guard acknowledged his transition to a reserve role has been mentally taxing at times. After shooting 10-of-31 from the floor in a combined three games against the Denver Nuggets and Orlando Magic (twice), Maxey sent a text message to his parents to express his appreciation for raising him to be tough.

Since then, Maxey has had numerous conversations to get back in the proper headspace. By the time he reached Rivers, the coach joked that, “I don’t know if we need to talk anymore. You’ve heard enough.” The overarching message was the same: Relax, be yourself, and don’t second-guess.

“That’s what I always tell our guys,” Rivers said. “Nobody shoots the way he shoots and then, all of a sudden, you forget how to shoot. It just doesn’t mysteriously go away.”

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Maxey said his contagious positivity begins at morning shootarounds, which can become mundane and repetitive at this point of the season. He gets his personal workout in before the team session, before waking up teammates such as MVP contender Joel Embiid with his encouragement. Maxey’s on-court time always ends with a vivacious shooting contest against Melton.

“You’ve got to get through it,” Maxey said. “It’s part of the job.”

That energetic spirit led to a vintage Maxey performance against a struggling opponent Monday night. Now his goal is to establish consistency as the season hits its stretch run, to “present himself” in every game by being assertive without forcing it.

“Because what I bring is needed,” Maxey said. “The coaching staff is still telling me that, but I have to be able to do that the right way.”