Tyrese Maxey’s lessons, Andre Drummond’s pressure and finally a win

Tyrese Maxey stopped a question about the 76ers finally making shots with a laugh.

“I’m not going to lie, it felt good to win,” the Sixers’ All-Star point guard said Friday after the Sixers topped the Brooklyn Nets, 113-98. “I’m not going to sit here and talk about making shots. We played so hard, offensively and defensively, (and) played together. Guys stuck together.”

A win over the underdog Nets doesn’t erase the fact that the Sixers lost 12 of their first 14 games and didn’t record a regulation win until the 2024-25 season was nearly a month old.

» READ MORE: Sixers takeaways: Jared McCain hot streak, Ben Simmons boo and more

But Friday brought welcome relief during a week that had been defined by a lengthy postgame meeting in Miami, after which Joel Embiid emerged on the details of said meeting being leaked to the media, and then injury absence (again) from Embiid and newcomer Paul George. The Embiid situation remains difficult as swelling in his left knee forced him to miss Friday’s game and will keep him sidelined through at least Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers.

Still, the Sixers’ locker room loudspeaker blasted hip-hop music after Friday’s shorthanded victory, thanks in large part to 56 points from the budding guard duo of Maxey and still-hot rookie Jared McCain along with a defense that parlayed 19 Nets turnovers to 28 points. Then Maxey repeated a message he had shared earlier this week, noting that it was part of the meeting in Miami.

“It’s been a constant theme the last 14 games: Teams make runs and we lay down and we just let them keep pushing,” Maxey said. “Today they went on a run. (We) called timeout and we did what we had to do: We beat them back. Beat them right away and now we’re back in the game.”

Here are some more behind-the-scenes nuggets from another interesting week during the Sixers’ rocky start.

Drummond aims to replace pressure with joy

Andre Drummond sat on the floor of Miami’s Kaseya Center court after Monday’s pregame warmups and bounced a ball with his young daughter, Aubrey.

It was an instant mood boost, the veterans center said. And he’s hoping to inject more of that joy into his game, admitting he’s “put too much pressure on myself” during a rough individual start while Embiid has sat out 11 of the Sixers’ first 15 matches.

“It’s something I have to do better with,” Drummond told The Inquirer from shootarond in Memphis on Wednesday. “Just get out of my head and play more freely. … (I’ve tried) to do everything perfectly, instead of just playing the game the way it’s supposed to be played.”

» READ MORE: Jared McCain and Tyrese Maxey’s big nights end the Sixers’ five-game losing streak with the win over the Nets

Drummond received the same criticism from coach Nick Nurse that he first delivered in front of the team and then repeated publicly during his press conference before Monday’s game in Miami. Drummond entered Friday averaging 8.5 points and 8.9 rebounds in 13 games, but his shooting numbers are down and the eye test indicates he hasn’t been the same interior force on both ends of the floor.

“I’m trying to get him to relax a little bit out there and enjoy playing,” the nurse said of Drummond. “It kind of seems like it’s too much hard work for him right now, rather than enjoyment. He’s like the best guy ever. I’m trying to get him to take some of that same character and attitude to the game and enjoy that little.”

Still, Drummond’s role has continued to fluctuate in recent games. With Embiid ruled out against the Nets on Friday, Nurse opted to start Guerschon Yabusele at center. However, Drummond finished with 10 points and six rebounds in 16 reserve minutes, including a thunderous alley-oop finish from McCain and several opportunities to finish when running down the court.

Bona’s trip back and forth

Even before the lengthy postgame meeting, Monday was bizarre for the Sixers because of Embiid’s ever-changing health status. He stepped forward that day listed as questionable to play against the Heat due to an illness, then questionable after he missed the shootarond, then available to play after a pregame warmup.

It all came after Embiid was a full participant in Sunday’s practice, which was considered a positive sign of his ongoing knee condition after surgery. So after that team session, the Sixers put rookie center Adem Bona on a plane to Atlanta to join the G League’s Delaware Blue Coats for their game against the College Park Skyhawks.

Bona arrived late Sunday due to a flight delay, then went through a briefing with Blue Coats the following morning. After that, the Sixers informed Bona that he would immediately fly back to Miami to be their emergency big-man option against the Heat if Embiid was unable to play.

Bona was on the Kaseya Center floor at 17.15, as the first Sixer to go through their pre-game warm-up. As he drilled hook shots and dunks down the court, player development coach Fabulous Flournoy reminded Bona that if he entered the game that night, he could be matched up against All-Star and Olympian Bam Adebayo. After that, Bona was waiting for a last-minute film session when he got back to the locker room.

“I just asked the (Blue Coats) guys, ‘Have you guys experienced this before?'” Bona said of the chaotic back and forth. “And they said, ‘Yeah, that’s normal.’ … I flew all the way there just to practice.”

Such is life for the 2024 second-round pick, who is expected to switch between the Sixers and the G League this season. Those flights came after Bona played in a Blue Coats game the previous Monday in Wilmington, then drove back to Philly to receive his first significant NBA minutes Wednesday against a Cleveland Cavaliers team anchored by frontcourt stars Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen.

“That’s what I signed up for,” Bona told his brother earlier this week, “so I can’t complain.”

In a pinch

When the Sixers held together for last Friday’s tipoff in Orlando, Ricky Council IV and Reggie Jackson were at the center of the group. They were a second-year player and veteran whose minutes have been sporadic so far this season, but still try to bring some positive energy to their teammates.

“That’s what we’re paid to do,” Council told The Inquirer. “We don’t get paid to score. We don’t get paid to play every night. They want us on the team. If they didn’t want us, we wouldn’t be here. So we’re going to do what we can to affect the game if it cheers, brings some positive energy, all that.”

» READ MORE: The Sixers have a chance to salvage this awful season. Another franchise has already shown them how.

Both players’ opportunity came later in the week when a hip injury to Kyle Lowry left a void at point guard, and Nurse began looking for players who could provide a spark during Wednesday’s game at the Memphis Grizzlies.

Council responded with two rim-rocking dunks, prompting Maxey to yell, “Come on, Ricky!” from the bench. Then Jackson had nine points on 3-of-7 shooting from three-point range and two assists in Friday’s win over the Nets.

The student becomes a teacher

Maxey’s leadership has been a hot topic since training camp and has been evident in his blossoming relationship with McCain.

While still sidelined with a hamstring injury during last Friday’s loss in Orlando, Maxey McCain pulled over on the sideline to get early tips on how to handle the physicality of being guarded by rugged defensive end Jalen Suggs. In Memphis, Maxey offered tips on how beating Embiid with pocket passes would open up more scoring space for McCain.

It was also evident when they sat together during Friday’s press conference and McCain was asked about television cameras that caught him yelling “I’m the rookie of the year!” after a big bucket during his 30-point outburst.

McCain initially tried to deny those words, saying, “I don’t know what came into my mind at that moment, but I guess I said it.”

“Guess?!” Maxey replied.

“Yeah, I said that. I did. It was pretty obvious,” McCain acknowledged.

“Then we will,” Maxey assured his teammate.