Doc Rivers proving his worth by doing things his way
PHILADELPHIA — By the time the Sixers chose to pay Doc Rivers $6 million a year, there was no longer a mission to do anything but win games, playoff series and, ultimately, titles. There would be no more seasons with 16 point guards, like the one Brett Brown once was made to stomach. There would be no search for young talent. There would be a cap on load-management nights. There would be no trade-deadline selloffs.
Just win, and do it with a thick skin. Don’t worry about fan static. And definitely don’t worry about the egos or sensibilities or desires of young talent.
In other words, go ahead and bring Tyrese Maxey off the bench, if that will work.
And – oddly enough – it has. “He’s great, for what he does for us,” Rivers said. “He changes the pace of the game when he comes in, which is good.”
Earlier in the season, that not only seemed unlikely, but any conversation about disrupting a backcourt of Maxey and James Harden was an invitation for Rivers to trend argumentative.
But then Maxey broke his foot, De’Anthony Melton – already the better defensive player – shot well, and Rivers eventually made the lineup change. And never mind, either, that Maxey is only 22 and has the skills to develop as an NBA star, for the Sixers are no longer in that developmental business. But what if Maxey rejected it all, or sulked, or proved to be a lesser player when not more regularly surrounded by better talent? Turns out, the Sixers almost faced that crisis.
Though Maxey generally has produced in that change-of-pace role, of late he has been an inconsistent shooter. In recent weeks, he has dripped shooting lines of 2-for-11, 3-for-14 and 4-for-16, and he was 4-for-17 from distance over one five-game stretch. So affected was Maxey by his slump that he spent hours on the phone with his parents in an effort to re-set his confidence, and was heartened by a note of encouragement from John Calipari, his college coach at Kentucky.
“I had that week that was frustrating for me mentally,” Maxey said. “But ever since then, I’ve fixed my spirit. I talked to my people and I am back in a space of having fun and having joy out there on the basketball court. That’s the biggest thing for me. 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 as well.”
A good mindset helps. Energy has value. But there was something else Rivers was looking for – something he likes to call defense. Not that Maxey is a weak defender, but at 6-2 he has his natural challenges, which tempt him to take chances that can be costly whenever
he is not on the court with Joel Embiid providing rim protection. Melton, a solid defender with a marginal outside shot, does not have that problem, which is why Rivers has grown comfortable with the 24-year-old in the starting lineup.
But in a breeze past rebuilding Houston the other night, Maxey was a defensive force, creating pressure on the backcourt, making two steals and playing to a plus-28 while scoring 26 points. When Rivers characterizes him as a pace-changer, he doesn’t just mean Maxey can be one of those generic instant-offense players. He means that he can be disruptive from baseline to baseline.
“I talk to him and say, ‘What can you bring to the game defensively?’”
Rivers said. “I told him when he pressures, he can use his quickness and be big in a lot of ways. And he’s doing that.”
In that, Rivers has been doing some developing of young talent, even as he stalks the best possible Eastern Conference tournament seeding. If Maxey’s defense continues to improve, he could squeeze Melton back to the bench. But Rivers would lose the option of Maxey as an offensive lift.
At some point Maxey will demand to be an NBA starter, and with that enjoy everything from better contracts to more serious All-Star consideration. But not only is he too too team-oriented at a young age to make that point this season, but Rivers is too goal-oriented at not-so-young an age to not care.
“Everybody likes to start for whatever reason,” Rivers said. “But everybody likes to finish. Every night, we have so many guys that can be in that lineup. We have a defensive lineup as well, and an offensive lineup. And then on certain nights, that group you play, whatever group that is, you want to keep them on the floor.
“So the whole key — the one I still go back to — is the mental and emotional, and the stability to handle that.”
It has not been easy, but Tyrese Maxey has handled that at a point in their development when the Sixers could afford nothing less.