Tyrese

Maxey

Maxey injured his hamstring during Wednesday’s loss to the Clippers, leaving Philadelphia without two of its three stars. Kyle Lowry should be the choice to move into the starting lineup, but he offers limited fantasy value at this stage in his career. Also, Reggie Jackson will move into the rotation, with Jared McCain and Jeff Dowtin having the opportunity to earn more minutes.

Maxey suffered the injury Wednesday, and he’ll be out of action until at least November 21. Joel Embiid will serve the final two games of his suspension and miss Friday’s matchup with the Lakers and Sunday’s matchup with the Hornets at minimum. Assuming he’s healthy, Embiid could make his season debut on November 12 against the Knicks, which would give Philly two of its Big 3. While Maxey is sidelined, expect Eric Gordon, Jared McCain and Kyle Lowry to pick up the slack in the backcourt.

Maxey played 32 minutes before exiting Wednesday’s game at the end of the third quarter. He appeared to tweak it while diving for a loose ball with about two minutes remaining in the period. With Joel Embiid suspended for two more games and recently cleared to return from a knee injury, the last thing Philadelphia can afford is to lose Maxey for an extended period. The 76ers visit the Lakers on Friday

Maxey didn’t have to go it alone as the 76ers’ primary scoring option on Monday, as Paul George made his official debut. Having another marquee scorer on the floor certainly helped, as Maxey produced his most efficient outing of the season. While he’s scored 23 points or more in all six games, the 76ers guard has shot 48% or better from the field in two. Maxey being close to a top-25 player despite shooting below 41% from the field bodes well for his rest of season value, especially once Joel Embiid returns.

Maxey continues to put up solid counting stats, so he remains a top-50 player regarding per-game value. The issue is efficiency, which has taken a hit with Joel Embiid and Paul George unavailable. That was to be expected, as Maxey is currently “the one” in Philadelphia’s offense instead of one of the team’s primary options. Fantasy managers simply need to remain patient, as Maxey’s fantasy value should increase once Embiid and George return.

Maxey was the focal point of the 76ers offense without Joel Embiid and Paul George out there. While he turned in 32 points, it wasn’t Maxey’s best game. He was 2-of-10 from behind the three point line and -11 in 40 minutes played. The Sixers are back in action on Saturday with a home game against the Grizzlies.

With Joel Embiid and Paul George sidelined, fantasy managers with Maxey rostered likely know they will take a hit in the field goal percentage category. While that was the case on Sunday, the All-Star point guard went off to the tune of 45 points. The 3-point line was the culprit, with Maxey going 5-of-17 on the day. Unfortunately, he’ll have to wait until Wednesday to build on this performance, as the 76ers only play twice during Week 2.

As was the case in Wednesday’s loss to Milwaukee, Maxey put up a solid point total, but the efficiency wasn’t there. Through two games, he’s shooting 16-of-54 from the field, a far cry from the scoring guard Maxey was last season. Of course, Paul George and Joel Embiid sitting due to knee injuries has much to do with that. Hopefully, those two return sooner rather than later, as fantasy managers who have Maxey rostered are essentially punting field-goal percentage.

With Paul George and Joel Embiid out with knee injuries, the consensus was that Maxey would have every opportunity to go off. Those absences also mean more defensive attention for the 76ers guard to deal with. Maxey put up 31 shots on Wednesday but only made 10, with Milwaukee using multiple defenders to impact his shooting efficiency. The good news is that he only committed one turnover, meaning field-goal percentage was the only category in which Maxey managers took a noticeable hit.

George’s absence is a huge blow to a Philly team that will also be without Joel Embiid (left knee). Tyrese Maxey should carry the offense, while Caleb Martin and Andre Drummond should see additional playing time for as long as George and Embiid are sidelined. Embiid will miss the entire first week of the season, and Charania notes that George will be re-evaluated “later in the week.”