Tyrese Maxey learning to make most of Sixers’ moments without Joel Embiid: ‘It’s expected, right?’

Prior to 23 points on 9-for-18, Maxey shot just 37.5% from the field, including making just 4 of 23 three-point attempts (17.3%), in his three games played games without Embiid.

by Keith Pompey

Published Dec. 29, 2023, 5:00 a.m. ET

HOUSTON — The 76ers were far from surprised with Tyrese Maxey’s ability to bounce back after a career-worst shooting night.

“It’s expected, right?” Patrick Beverley said. “He’s a premier All-Star. Hopefully, he’s in that starting lineup [as] an All-Star this year. Everyone wants to see him do it without [Joel Embiid], which is a great thing, a motivating thing. He made shots [Wednesday night].”

Maxey, a candidate this season to make his first All-Star team, scored a team-high 23 points on 9-for-18 shooting in Wednesday’s 112-92 victory over the Magic at the Kia Center. His efforts led the Sixers (21-9) to their first victory in five tries this season without Embiid, the reigning league MVP.

Maxey will have an opportunity to do it again Friday night against the Houston Rockets at the Toyota Center. Embiid will miss his third consecutive game with a sprained right ankle. It will also be the fifth straight game that Nicolas Batum misses with a right hamstring strain.

The Sixers are confident Maxey will fill a void left by Embiid’s absence. However, outside of Wednesday night, he has had his share of struggles when the 7-foot-2, 280-pounder was sidelined.

Rock bottom came on Christmas night when Maxey had 12 points on 4-for-20 shooting in the Sixers’ 119-113 road loss to the Miami Heat. Prior to Wednesday, he shot just 37.5% from the field, including making just 4 of 23 three-point attempts (17.3%), in his three games played without Embiid.

“I told him after [the Miami] game, ‘Great players have bad games,’” Marcus Morris said. “That’s just the nature of the league. And, you know, this is his first time having the keys to a team like that. So being a young player that can mess with you mentally while you are playing, because the same shots that you normally are making, they just aren’t going in.”

Morris told Maxey that the best players bounce back from bad shooting nights. He reminded him that the beauty of the NBA is there’s not a lot of time in between games.

“And it changes very quickly,” Morris said of shooting cold streaks.

It changed for Maxey in the second quarter against the Magic after only playing four minutes, four seconds in the first quarter because of two early fouls. Twelve of his points came in the second quarter on 5-for-7 shooting — including his lone three-point attempt.

“When I came out, I knew I was going to go back in and be aggressive in the second quarter,” he said. “But honestly, I didn’t do anything different. They trapped me more [Wednesday] than they did [Monday]. I stayed aggressive and let the game come to me a little bit more tonight though.”

While Maxey’s goal is to stay aggressive, several of his teammates are eager to greet some familiar faces.

Friday’s matchup against the Houston Rockets will be a homecoming for several Sixers.

KJ Martin, Beverley, Morris, Robert Covington, Danuel House Jr., and team president of basketball operations Daryl Morey are all former Rockets. Beverley and House, a Houston native, still live here in the offseason.

“The video people, coaches, they’re all still there,” Martin said. “So it’s going to be good to see everyone again and go back to a place where I spent three years and play against a team that gave me a chance.”

Martin was selected by the Sacramento Kings with the 52nd pick in the 2020 draft. He was traded to the Rockets seven days later and averaged 15.5 points and 7.1 rebounds during a three-year career in Houston. The Rockets, on July 8, traded him to the Los Angeles Clippers, who shipped him along with Morris, Covington, and Batum to the Sixers on Nov. 1 in the James Harden trade.

Meanwhile, Morey spent 14 seasons with the Rockets, the last 13 as general manager, before taking over the Sixers organization in November 2020.

As the Rockets general manager, he selected Morris with the 14th pick in the 2011 draft. Morey also signed Beverley, Covington, and House initially to free agent deals during his tenure there.

“That’s all Daryl Morey, right?” Beverley said. “I think you have to give a lot of credit to him. He found me literally across the waters, under a rock second division Ukraine type of [stuff]. So I think you have to give him a lot of credit, finding those types of gem type of guys … to have a career.”