Sixers rookie Tyrese Maxey rides floaters in preseason debut | Off the Dribble

Happy Hump Day, folks! Let’s make this another productive and safe day.

Well, we finally got a glimpse of the new-look 76ers in last night’s 108-99 preseason victory over the Boston Celtics at the Wells Fargo Center. Joel Embiid looked good. Shake Milton and Tyrese Maxey were the other standouts. Tobias Harris had a solid offensive game, while Danny Green was the king of steals.

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— Keith Pompey (offthedribble@inquirer.com)

Maxey entered the game at the start of the fourth quarter, and, after settling down, became a problem.

The Celtics reserves had no answers for the Sixers’ 2020 first-round pick.

He began his first NBA action by committing a turnover and having a 4-foot floater blocked with 8 minutes, 39 seconds left in the game. However, he assisted on Tony Bradley’s cutting dunk two seconds later.

Then it was as if the 21st overall pick was back at Kentucky a couple of minutes later, scoring six straight points for the Sixers. He had a reverse layup, followed by a 12-foot floater and a 9-foot floater.

“He is good, and I have said that,” coach Doc Rivers said. “He is a good player and he is going to push for minutes. He is a good basketball player, knows how to play; you can’t speed him up.”

It was evident that the Celtics reserve guards couldn’t do anything to contain him.

Maxey finished with eight points on 4-for-6 shooting to go with three assists and one turnover while playing the entire fourth quarter.

Three of his four baskets came on floaters. Maxey’s last made shot was a 14-foot floater with 3:17 to play.

That floater became a big part of his game while at South Garland High School in Garland, Texas. That’s when Maxey realized he was going to be only 6-foot-3 and needed a shot to offset that.

“I am pretty athletic,” he said. “I can go in and kind of jump over defenders sometimes. But to preserve your body, that mid-range is kind of a key, a lost art in the NBA; especially as a guard coming off the ball screens, bigs are going to drop for the most part.”

So Maxey has developed a pull-up jumper, a mid-range pull-up floater, and runners in his game.

“He has a plethora of shots,” Rivers said, “makes simple plays.”

One of the biggest questions of the 2020-21 season got answered Tuesday afternoon.

Giannis Antetokounmpo, who was in line to be next summer’s top free-agent target, agreed to sign a five-year, $228 million, super max contract to remain with the Milwaukee Bucks.

That $228 million will be on top of the $108.6 million in basketball salary alone that Antetokounmpo will have already have made through this season.

That sounds like some serious #GenerationalWealthFlow to me for the two-time reigning NBA MVP.

Friday: Sixers at Indiana Pacers, 6 p.m., Bankers Life Fieldhouse, NBA Sports Philadelphia (preseason game)

Dec. 23: Washington Wizards at Sixers, 7 p.m., Wells Fargo Center, NBC Sports Philadelphia (regular-season opener)

Dec. 26: Sixers at New York Knicks, 7:30 p.m., Madison Square Garden, NBC Sports Philadelphia, NBA-TV

Dec. 27: Sixers at Cleveland Cavaliers, 7:30 p.m., Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, NBC Sports Philadelphia

Dec. 29: Toronto Raptors at Sixers, 7 p.m., Wells Fargo Center, NBC Sports Philadelphia

Question: Realistically, how far do you see the Sixers going in the playoffs with their current roster? — @nicolefranzzzz on Twitter

Answer: Hello, Nicole. How have you been? Thanks for the great question.

It’s tough for me to answer at this time, because I would like to see them play more games. The answer will have a lot to do with where the Sixers are seeded. I don’t see them getting out of the first round if they finish fifth or sixth in the Eastern Conference. However, I can see them winning a first-round matchup if they finish third.

But regardless of their seed, I don’t see the Sixers advancing past the second round. Now, my opinion could change in a couple of weeks. But as of now, I don’t see them getting out of Round 2.