The Philadelphia 76ers suffered their third defeat of the season to the Boston Celtics. But we got a dominating performance from Joel Embiid who scored an impressive 41 points and played stellar defense. Unfortunately, this was not enough to secure the Sixers’ 40th victory of the season.
A significant factor in the loss was the team’s struggle during the short periods when Embiid was off the court. Tyrese Maxey, who was expected to provide a scoring boost from the bench, encountered difficulties. He only managed to score eight points. After the game, Embiid offered guidance to the young player to help him overcome his struggles.
Joel Embiid stated, “After the game, I was talking to him. I was like, ‘What can I do to help you?’ We were just having a conversation, trying to figure it out, in which ways I can help him.We had a good conversation. My main thing for him is to just be aggressive.”
During a discussion with Maxey, Embiid stressed the importance of finding ways to contribute to the team. He stressed its important even when one’s performance is not at its best. Embiid’s own performance in the game against the Memphis Grizzlies served as an example of this mentality.
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Although Maxey had previously displayed impressive defensive skills, such occurrences were not frequent enough for him to be a consistent positive presence on the court, especially on nights when he struggled to score.
“Obviously, everybody watches film and everybody knows what he does best,” Embiid said.
“I was just giving him an example: I’m sure people watch film on me and they probably know what I want to get to. But then again, there’s so many ways you can — even if they want to take it away — there’s so many ways you can set them up and still be able to get to whatever shots you want on whatever spot on the floor.”
“He’ll be fine. But I told him we’re not going anywhere unless he’s aggressive and he just plays freely. That’s all I want for him: play freely, not have to think about anything whether it’s coming off the bench or starting. Just want him to be aggressive and play freely.”
The Sixers need to find a way to help Tyrese Maxey regain his confidence and consistency on the court. It is crucial for Maxey to perform at a high level on a consistent basis. Because he is expected to be the team’s third star alongside Joel Embiid and James Harden.
