The Sixers and Los Angeles Lakers went back and forth for 45 minutes or so on Sunday night, and then it became abundantly clear that the end of the game would belong to the soon-to-be 41-year-old LeBron James, who is still capable of taking over games in his 23rd NBA season. James did just that and put the Sixers away, dropping them to 13-10 on the season.
After the game, James gave significant praise to Tyrese Maxey, the Sixers' franchise cornerstone who shares the same agency and has worked out with James each offseason since he left the University of Kentucky. Predictably, Maxey also had very kind words for a player who, all these years later, even leaves some NBA players – Sixers rookie VJ Edgecombe, for example – totally star-struck.
But the Sixers did lose the game, and they will have four days off before they can get the poor taste out of their mouths. Sunday's loss will be the Sixers' last game until Friday, which will be followed by another Sunday game and then another four-day layoff. It is a two-games-in-11-days stretch for a team that does not appear to have a firm consensus about whether or not this break is actually helpful.
In this week's 5 Sixers thoughts, more on the friendship of James and Maxey, the team's light schedule over the next week and change and other notes worth knowing:
LeBron James sings Tyrese Maxey's praises
James has not signaled that he is going to retire after this season, but with his 41st birthday a few weeks away and his contract set to expire, it is understandable that some will speculate whether he just played his last game in Philadelphia. Perhaps that explains the particularly raucous reactions to every basket he scored on Sunday. James always incites that reaction, but it is not always that loud.
“Well, I mean, one thing we know about Philly fans, is they don't care about anybody except their home teams," James said. "And I respect that, I love that. And I’ve played here for 23 years, a lot more when I was in the Eastern Conference. I have appreciation for the City of Brotherly Love.”
Before Maxey had even been selected to begin his NBA career in Philadelphia, James was learning how hard Maxey worked and how high his ceiling was. Maxey and James have worked out together every offseason since Maxey declared for the NBA Draft. What has it been like for James to watch Maxey evolve into the player now averaging 31.5 points per game?
"It’s the best. It’s the best," James said. "…I love the success, and the humbleness that Tyrese does it at. It starts with his family. He's just taking full advantage of the opportunity here and he’s making the most of it. Every summer we get together and train, get ready for the season. Obviously it wasn't as extended this summer than previous summers because of the injury I was dealing with. But we did get an opportunity to get on the court a few times. Obviously, I love his game, but I love him the person more than anything. And that’s tough to do."
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The young star returns the favor
Informed of James' comments, Maxey discussed what one of the all-time sporting greats has meant to him.
"I appreciate him, man, he's done a lot," Maxey said. "Just a lot of wisdom that he's given me. Like I said, I appreciate him. Like an older brother to me. I can call him and talk to him any time."
Maxey was willing to give James credit with a comment that might be controversial.
"We crack jokes with each other every now and then, but," Maxey said before taking a long pause, "he's a good player. Pretty good player."
If there is one thing that James and Maxey share, it is a maniacal drive that powers their competitiveness and desire to get better. Maxey said he admires the way James has created his longevity by relentlessly working on his body and finding areas for improvement, something he appreciates as someone trying to do the same things. The natural follow-up: does Maxey view James playing 23 years in the NBA as an inspiration? He shuddered at the question.
"I don't think I want to play 23 years," Maxey said. "I don't think so. I don't think so. But I do look at it as inspiration, someone who tries his hardest to get better every single year... He was getting up at six o'clock in the morning, five o'clock in the morning, [when we were] working out in the summertime. He's a Hall of Famer, arguably the greatest basketball player of all time, and he's still doing that, just to get better for the hell of it. That is inspirational."
How will the Sixers utilize a long layoff?
If there has ever been a player to earn a two-games-in-11-day stretch, it is Maxey. He has played in all 23 Sixers games, and even though many teams have played 25 games, Maxey comfortably leads all NBA players in total minutes and total field goal attempts. He is carrying a workload that is truly historic in size. How does he hope to maximize this upcoming stretch?
"Rest," Maxey said before the question could even be completed. "Just rest."
But the Sixers should be able to get plenty of practices in soon, and for a team that is 13-10 in spite of its lack of continuity, that could be valuable. Given the constant availability issues surrounding Joel Embiid and Paul George, the Sixers have continually had pieces shuffled in and out of the rotation.
"We're kind of trying to figure it out," Maxey said. "We've played some games with Jo. We kind of know what we're going to do there. We've played some games with Paul, without Jo. We kind of know what we're going to do there. I think this was our second game with Jo and Paul. So it's a little difficult... We had basically zero practice with Jo or P, especially on the court. So I think it'll be really good for us."
Meanwhile, Embiid attributed his horrid 4-for-21 shooting line against the Lakers to a lack of rhythm. He said he loved the shots he was taking and did not feel like he was pressing. But after a right knee issue led to Embiid having a nine-game absence – Embiid said he felt like he was "getting back to myself again" before that issue emerged – he said all he wants to do is get more game reps. His goal: being able to play two games in a three-day span.
"I'm feeling pretty good," Embiid said. "It's all about getting that rhythm and playing every other day. I think we're getting there. The plan they have me on is playing, then two days off in between, then playing again, and it's working pretty well. So hopefully that keeps going and we can start doing it every other day, but feeling pretty good."
But, while players like Maxey and Edgecombe will likely relish this light stretch and welcome the opportunity to get as much rest as they can, Embiid just wants to take advantage of the fact that he feels good enough to play right now. It is suboptimal timing for him.
"I think I don't really like it that much," Embiid said, "because for me – I keep mentioning rhythm – I just want to play. So hopefully we have a few practices so I can use that to work on myself and just play basketball and get back to it."
MORE: What will Sixers' strategy be at trade deadline?
An example of veteran leadership in action
The Sixers might not have beaten the Bucks in Milwaukee on Friday night without Jabari Walker's three-point eruption in the first half. Walker knocked down four straight attempts from beyond the arc, with his teammates growing more excited for each one. Walker cashed a triple on the Sixers' first possession of that second quarter, and the entire play was an example of the communication and leadership head coach Nick Nurse often cites from veterans like Paul George and Kyle Lowry.
On this play, George and Lowry tell Walker where to go to break a zone defense Milwaukee had just gone to. It ends up resulting in a three:
On Sunday morning, Walker said that this kind of guidance is what he has always wanted to receive from teammates. After spending the first three years of his career on young Portland Trail Blazers teams, Walker called it "amazing" to have so many veterans capable of giving him cues on situations like that one.
"This is something I've asked for. I’ve heard about veteran leadership, but I've never really seen it to this extent," Walker said. "So, just grateful to have [Andre Drummond], Eric Gordon, Kyle Lowry, Paul George, Joel, all these guys. Every day I feel like I could turn my brain off a little bit sometimes and just rely on them, and make life a lot easier. And then just picking up and learning from what they tell me adding on my own spice to it, it’s very helpful."
Checking in on the Delaware Blue Coats
On Friday, Walker told fellow two-way player Hunter Sallis, the 22-year-old undrafted rookie, that "we needed that old Hunter back." The two players were discussing Sallis' highlight dunks in Summer League, and how Sallis had yet to produce a poster slam this season. The next day, with Walker in attendance at the Chase Fieldhouse in Delaware, Sallis got the job done playing for the Blue Coats in a G League game:
A few plays later, Sallis and Walker made eye contact. "Okay, there we go."
Sallis has now played in five games with Delaware, logging 32.8 minutes per game. He has not shot the ball particularly well in that small sample, but is getting valuable chances to play extended minutes. Such a thing is not possible for him at the NBA level right now.
Similarly, rookie second-round pick Johni Broome has had very few chances to play for the Sixers, but when he heads to Delaware he can be a featured piece for the Blue Coats. And while Broome's sparing minutes in the NBA have not been encouraging at all, he has dominated in four games in the G League. In 30.6 minutes per game, Broome is averaging 22.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 1.8 blocks while shooting 52.1 percent from the field and 38.9 percent from beyond the arc on considerable volume (4.5 three-point attempts per game).
It may be a challenge for the Blue Coats to tally tons of wins this season because of their lack of assignment players – two-way forwards Walker and Dominick Barlow will almost certainly never suit up there – but they have some interesting pieces. The Sixers could eventually be replacing both Walker and Barlow's two-way spots if the two current standouts earn conversions to standard contracts. A pair of current Blue Coats stand out as internal options:
• Kennedy Chandler, who impressed Sixers coaches and players alike during preseason with his organizational skills at point guard, is very small – his 6-foot listing is awfully generous – but plays hard, has great instincts and knows how to run a team. Chandler, a 23-year-old with 36 games of NBA experience, is averaging 21.0 points and 10.2 assists per game in Delaware.
• Malcolm Hill, quite possibly the most productive all-around player on the Blue Coats this season, also spent training camp with the Sixers. A wing with a solid frame, Hill, 30, has averaged 19.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.3 steals per game so far with the Blue Coats. After shooting 35.9 percent from beyond the arc in his 24 games of NBA experience, Hill might be proving he has taken a leap as a shooter. He is taking 7.6 long-range tries per game so far this season and shooting a comical 47.1 percent on them.
The Sixers do not have to fill a vacant two-way spot internally, but they will have closer looks at the players in Delaware than ones on other teams in the G League. Depending on what the Sixers decide they are looking for positionally, Chandler and Hill both have real cases.
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