Category: Sixers/NBA

For the last three seasons, since the 76ers traded James Harden in October 2023, Tyrese Maxey has been the team’s point guard whenever he has been on the floor. As his usage rate increased, so have his production and accolades (two All-Star Games and being named to the All-NBA third team).

The arrival of LeBron James and Jaylen Brown, two other All-NBA talents who like to have the ball in their hands, is going to shift things for Maxey. James, who averages 7.4 assists per game in his career, is likely to take over some of those point guard duties.

But this doesn’t have to be a bad thing for the Sixers or Maxey’s usage. In fact, getting Maxey off the ball could mean more efficient shots for him in an important area: his three-point shooting.

Turning back the clock

The last season Maxey played with Harden in 2022-23 offers a clue into how the Sixers can utilize him slightly differently with Brown and James on the floor at the same time.

According to the website Cleaning the Glass, Maxey played 53% of his possessions that season at shooting guard, 47% at point guard. The previous season had Maxey listed at shooting guard 21% of the time. Once Harden was gone, Cleaning the Glass logged every possession Maxey played from that point onward at point guard.

The 2022-23 season was Joel Embiid’s MVP year, and he played 66 games, helping the offense to have the third-best efficiency in the league. Harden played 58 games and led the league in assists. The offense was humming, and it had a slightly higher efficiency with Maxey at shooting guard than point guard. What was different about Maxey that changed once Harden left? Take a look at his shooting.

Three-point shooting spike

From 2021-23, Embiid played in 134 regular-season games, more than any two-year stretch of his career. With Embiid playing a lot and Harden being a ball-dominant point guard, Maxey averaged 17.5 points per game in 2021-22 and then 20.3 points in 2022-23. He also had the two best three-point shooting seasons of his career, by percentage (42.7% and 43.4%, respectively).

In the latter season, that 43.4% came on 6.2 attempts per game, up from 4.1 the previous season. Maxey excelled, and has always excelled, at taking catch-and-shoot threes, the kind of looks offenses can generate with an athletic player like Maxey playing off ball. In 2022-23, Maxey shot an excellent 45.5% on 3.5 catch-and-shoot three-point attempts per game. Keep that number in mind if and when Maxey plays more off ball this season.

Once he became the team’s full-time point guard, his three-point volume increased, but his percentages took a step back.

• 2023-24: 37.3% on 8.1 attempts per game
• 2024-25: 33.7% on 9.2 attempts
• 2025-26: 36.7% on 8.6 attempts

A deeper look into the type of threes Maxey was taking shows the number of catch-and-shoot threes did not increase; he has never topped those 3.5 attempts per game from 2022-23, according to tracking data from NBA.com.

Instead, Maxey was taking more pull-up threes, which is the kind of shot he, and many other shooters, are not as efficient in taking. Last season, Maxey took 5.2 pull-up threes per game and hit them at a 33.5% clip. His catch-and-shoot threes: 41.7% on 3.4 attempts per game.

What does the future hold?

The ideal role for Maxey next season might be playing more off ball, running off screens and getting more catch-and-shoot threes. When he is getting those shots on a regular basis, he can be an elite shooter. For instance, the Minnesota Timberwolves have found the same with another member of Maxey’s 2020 draft class, Anthony Edwards. They made a trade to get point guard LaMelo Ball this summer to get Edwards more of these catch-and-shoot looks.

Edwards shot nearly 50% on catch-and-shoot threes last season, 35.3% on pull-ups, an even more exaggerated split than Maxey’s numbers. The underlying theme is those shots, when a player gets them in rhythm, are as close to a practice shot as players get in a game.

A cliché of coaching across all sports is that it’s the coach’s job to put players in the best positions to succeed. The revamped Sixers roster offers Nick Nurse a chance to do this with Maxey. Maxey having the ball less and having less on his plate as a ballhandler doesn’t have to be a negative for him individually and the Sixers as a team. The gravity of Brown, James and Embiid could do wonders for Maxey off ball, and it could end up getting him a higher volume of the type of shot he can be lethal at converting.

A wild 76ers offseason has finally settled, after they stunningly signed LeBron James and traded for Jaylen Brown to vault into championship contender status.

To help Sixers followers get acquainted with the newcomers on this revamped roster, The Inquirer reached out to reporters who covered those players on their previous teams.

Next up is The Orlando Sentinel’s Jason Beede, who covered veteran 3-and-D wing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope during his 2024-25 stint with the Orlando Magic, where he played before joining the Memphis Grizzlies via trade for the 2025-26 season.

Gina Mizell: Given that you saw up close how the Magic’s praised 2024 signing of Caldwell-Pope did not work out as anticipated, what should the Sixers reasonably expect out of him at this point in his career? Why didn’t it work out with a win-now Orlando team, after championship-winning stints with the Nuggets and Lakers?

Jason Beede: Given where Caldwell-Pope is at in his career and the amount of talent on the Sixers’ roster, I would anticipate him to be a trustworthy bench piece who can also start in a pinch. He actually remained relatively healthy during his one year with the Magic (started in all of his 77 regular season appearances) but only played 51 games this past season with the Grizzlies, starting just 14. I think one of the main reasons it didn’t work out with the Magic is that the fit wasn’t quite right. Orlando needed KCP’s toughness on defense and championship experience in the locker room but the team required more shooting from him.

To be sure, all of Orlando’s offensive issues certainly did not fall on KCP, but he also wasn’t as much of a solution from three-point range as they had hoped. With Philadelphia, if KCP can return to being a true 3-and-D veteran piece off the bench and consistently knock down his looks from distance while offering stout defense, he can be an underrated part of the roster. Playing alongside LeBron James again and joining forces with the likes of Jaylen Brown and Joel Embiid, generating those looks for KCP shouldn’t be too challenging on a nightly basis. He just has to hit them.

GM: What most contributed to his shooting drop-off with the Magic, besides no longer receiving open looks while playing off Nikola Jokic?

JB: It didn’t help anyone on Orlando’s roster, but especially a newcomer like Caldwell-Pope, that, five games into his first and only season with the Magic, All-Star forward Paolo Banchero suffered an oblique injury that kept him off the court for multiple months. Then Franz Wagner missed a stretch of 20 games because of the same injury, and eventually Jalen Suggs was shut down at the start of February 2025 because of a knee injury.

Orlando’s opening night starting lineup of Banchero, Wagner, Suggs, Caldwell-Pope and Wendell Carter Jr. only played six total games together (82 minutes) across the 2024-25 season. Without the starting lineup together regularly, Caldwell-Pope found himself needing to adjust to tons of different lineups throughout the season, and I’m not sure if he ever grew comfortable with finding his shot in Orlando’s offense because of that.

To his credit, he shot 39.2% from three-point range across the final 44 games of the season. But for the season overall, he still shot his worst three-point percentage (34.2%) since his third season in the NBA (30.9% in 2015-16 with Detroit).

GM: Where do you think that championship experience will most rub off on these Sixers? How frequently did he reference/talk about his time playing alongside James, and what did he share about that experience?

JB: I would say Caldwell-Pope’s championship experience will show up down the stretch of the regular season and into the postseason the most. I remember during Orlando’s first-round playoff series against the Boston Celtics, in 2025, that Caldwell-Pope turned his toughness up a notch and seemingly became a villain on the court in the eyes of Boston fans because of the way he was defending against guys like Brown and Jayson Tatum.

I don’t believe KCP is a big “rah-rah” speech sort of guy, but rather lets his play and demeanor speak for itself. He understands his role on a team and he’ll work his hardest at what’s asked of him. As for his relationship with James, I don’t personally remember him talking about it a lot. I also am not sure if we asked him about James a ton either. But I do recall him talking about his championship experience, especially with his teammates. Some of the guys, including Banchero, referred to KCP as “champ” in the locker room, and it was clear they respected and listened to him when he did speak up to the group.

GM: Besides James, are there any Sixers teammates/lineups/etc. you think Caldwell-Pope’s skill set will complement particularly well in his expected bench role?

JB: This might not be the flashiest answer, but I’m curious to see how often Caldwell-Pope will play alongside Dean Wade off the bench. I’ve often thought the Magic could use a player like Wade, if not Wade himself, as a veteran power forward that fits what they like.

Both players are tough-nosed, gritty defenders and have the ability to knock down open threes when given the chance. Of course, Wade has been more consistent at that in recent years, but those two players next to each other could provide the Sixers with a spark off the bench on both sides of the floor. The two can help space the floor and set the tone on the defensive end of the court.

GM: How else would you describe Caldwell-Pope as a teammate and locker-room presence?

JB: KCP was a great teammate for a young Magic squad, and while he won’t be remembered fondly in Orlando, I think he’ll be welcomed back with open arms by a lot of his former teammates when Philadelphia comes to town. For context, he actually attended one of Orlando’s playoff games against the Pistons this past postseason (another Eastern Conference team he played for at the start of his career) and he sat courtside for the game at Kia Center.

For a number of reasons, it just didn’t work out for him with the Magic. That said, Caldwell-Pope is a great person with a beautiful family who will provide a key perspective on how to be a good person and a great player that lasts long in this league for the Sixers locker room. His performance on the court will determine how successful his reunion with James will ultimately be, but I have no doubt he’ll contribute in more ways than one in Philadelphia, even when his shot isn’t falling.

The 76ers are adding to their training camp roster with a trio of signings.

The team will have Jameer Nelson Jr., Saint Thomas, and veteran big man Tacko Fall in camp on nonguaranteed Exhibit 10 contracts, a source said.

Nelson, a guard and the son of Sixers executive vice president of basketball operations Jameer Nelson, has been in the G League the past couple of seasons and averaged 19.9 points, 3.7 assists, and 3.2 rebounds with the Stockton Kings during the 2025-26 season. He averaged 11.3 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.4 assists for the Austin Spurs the previous year. The younger Nelson also has played internationally with teams in Puerto Rico, China, and Canada.

Before he became a professional, Nelson played at the Haverford School and helped lead the team to a 28-0 record and PAISAA championship as a senior, when he averaged 15 points and earned second-team All-State honors. Nelson also played two seasons at George Washington and two at Delaware, where he earned all-conference honors in both seasons while averaging 16.8 points and 4.8 rebounds, before transferring to TCU for his final collegiate season.

Thomas has been in the Sixers system and averaged 12.5 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 3.8 assists in 36 regular-season games for the Delaware Blue Coats last season. He also was on their summer league team in July and averaged 4.5 points and 4.2 rebounds in four games.

Fall, listed at 7-foot-6, played in 37 games across three seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics from 2019 to 2022, in which he averaged 2.2 points and 2.4 rebounds. Since then, the 30-year-old has played internationally with teams in China and New Zealand. Across four seasons of international play, Fall has averaged 11.1 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks.

Exhibit 10 contracts are nonguaranteed deals in which teams can bring players into camps and potentially give them bonuses to sign with their G League team, assuming they don’t make the main roster out of camp.

New 76ers guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope’s tenure in Philly is off to a bumpy start.

On TikTok, Caldwell-Pope’s wife, McKenzie, said that just 30 minutes after signing the lease on their new Philly apartment, the building was struck by lightning and started to flood.

“I hear the loudest bang. All of a sudden, [expletive] starts shooting out of the ceiling and water is pouring in, dumping in,” McKenzie said in the video. “So everyone just starts screaming, and we’re like, ‘We have to get out of here.’ When I say it was coming, it was like — there was at least two, three inches of water in there before we got out.”

@mckenziecaldwellpope First day in Philly 🦸🏽‍♀️ #storytime ♬ original sound – McKenzie Caldwell-Pope

The fire department had to free their movers who had gotten stuck in the elevator.

“All of the elevators are broken, so we had to climb down 14 floors to get to safety,” McKenzie said. “We get down there (and) no one wants to believe me about what happened. I’m like, ‘Guys, I heard lightning,’ and the front desk is trying to tell me, like, ‘No, something just tripped the sprinklers.’ Girl, you go up there, it’s Niagara Falls. That ain’t no sprinkler, girl. Something bad just happened.”

No one was hurt, but McKenzie said they are currently living in a hotel while the unit is repaired. He could always commute from NYC by helicopter with LeBron James.

“One of the electricians said, ‘Yeah, you got struck by lightning, and there’s a one in 400 million chance of a unit getting struck the way this unit got struck,’” McKenzie said.

Of course, plenty of Sixer fans had jokes about the long series of improbable disasters that have happened to the franchise over the years. But maybe this is just what the Sixers needed to turn their luck around?

BOSTON — Closure is a fickle concept, whether in relationships, friendships and even sports fandom.

When something ends, closure isn’t guaranteed, and people often have to move on from traumatic or life-altering moments without it.

The deep bond between a city, its people, and its sports heroes is a phenomenon with few parallels in life, especially those who have won championships and been as ingrained in their communities as Jaylen Brown was for 10 years with the Boston Celtics.

But rarely do those connections end without some sort of breakup, which can lead to hurt feelings and confusion. As Brown said recently, “I just threw my phone across the room” when he heard the Celtics were trading him to Philadelphia for Paul George and draft picks.

His life and the lives of Celtics fans all over Boston became a lot different, and the trajectory of his new franchise changed, since that move also led LeBron James to pick the Sixers as his next and potentially final basketball home.

But before Brown officially gets going in Philadelphia when training camp starts with Media Day on Sept. 28, he had one bit of business to take care of in Boston — saying thank you. Brown did that Sunday with a block party and concert in Boston Common, which he titled the 741 Frequency Fest. He didn’t say much — he only addressed the crowd briefly two times — and he joined rapper A$AP Ferg for a performance of their collaboration “Just Do It.”

“I ain’t got too much to say because I’m at a loss for words,” Brown said. “I’m seeing all these people out here and I love each and every one of y’all. … I’ve been in this city for close to 10 years. I said I was gonna go to war for this city when I first got here.”

To Brown, that extended beyond the court, with city and state officials coming to offer Brown the key to the city and a commemorative street sign that said “Jaylen Brown Way.”

“Every minute that he has, he poured into the city,” Boston mayor Michelle Wu said. “We’re never going to let you forget us.”

Upon entering the Common, a large poster said “Thank you, Jaylen. Love, the city of Boston.” Fans could take a marker and sign the wall or write a message to Brown.

One such fan was Roberta Hayes-Bautista, a California transplant who has lived in Boston for over two decades and cited Brown’s commitment to the community, specifically with significant amounts of his money, as why Brown is “one in a million.”

“Gut punch,” Hayes-Bautista said of the trade. “I don’t think you’ll ever be able to replace him. This right here, who’s ever done this before? Nobody.”

Hayes-Bautista was referring to the block party in front of her. For most of the afternoon, it was a relaxing day in the park, with a DJ providing music from the stage where Brown and artists like Lil Jon and Lil Baby would eventually perform. The stage also displayed the Larry O’Brien Trophy Brown won with Boston in 2024, along with his Eastern Conference Finals and NBA Finals MVP trophies.

Fans stood behind barricades about 15-20 feet from the stage from around 1:30 p.m. waiting for Brown to come out. Food trucks lined the pathways, and there were a few different basketball games around the Common. In the meantime, fans flowed in to take advantage of a book bag giveaway, haircuts, and manicures. Cloud cover hid the sun and made for a comfortable afternoon.

That allowed Mary Vincent, who said she is a Celtics season-ticket holder, to come out with her family and greyhound Sangria, who was dressed up in a Celtics shirt. Vincent wanted to come out and support Brown even as she is recovering from a knee replacement.

She said she plans on giving up her season tickets and wasn’t buying the Celtics’ reasoning for trading Brown. Celtics President Brad Stevens said multiple times last month that trading Brown would give the team more “optionality” into the future. That wasn’t much of as an excuse to Vincent and the thousands of people who showed up Sunday.

“There was nothing wrong with the team. I think we had another possibility of winning another championship,” Vincent said. “I thought we would keep Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum through their whole careers. It was such a shock to me. I was grief-stricken.”

Hence why Brown felt a unique day like Sunday was necessary, a part of the processing of the trade for him and for fans.

Brown showed up to the event around 4 p.m., and mostly stayed quartered off from the crowds either on stage or behind it, except for one stretch of time when he walked down Charles Street as fans followed behind him. As the event wrapped up around 6:15 p.m., local and state officials made presentations to Brown, who was moved by the gestures.

“When I first got to Boston, none of this I imagined,” Brown said. “My grandma and my mom taught me to just dive into my community, so I was expecting nothing like this.”

A couple of the people who spoke on stage said they hoped Brown might make this party a regular thing. But those words sounded like people stating that they’ll still hang out after a break up, knowing that likely won’t be the case. There will still be more finality to Brown’s departure the first time he sets foot on the TD Garden floor in a regular-season game wearing a Sixers jersey. That day, slated for Jan. 21, is still about five months away. It won’t be easy for anyone involved.

“I don’t even know what to say,” Brown said. “I don’t do stuff for recognition, but I’m so grateful it’s so many people here. The feeling is mutual. Just know, Boston, I love you.”

To help ease LeBron James’ transition to the 76ers, the team has added one of his most trusted confidants and longtime friends to their organization: Randy Mims.

According to the team’s website, Mims is now a part of the team’s basketball operations with the title “executive administrator, player programs and logistics.”

But Mims’ biggest role will be making sure James feels comfortable in Philadelphia with the Sixers. That’s what he has done ever since he met James when the two were living in Akron, Ohio, while James was in high school, according to a 2025 ESPN profile of Mims.

“Randy has been his co-pilot for 22 years,” Rich Paul, James’ agent and friend, is quoted as saying in the piece.

Mims held positions with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers similar to the one he will have with the Sixers. James’ camp, according to ESPN, did not react favorably to a decision from Miami Heat president Pat Riley to deny Mims a job with the franchise when James joined in 2010.

The ESPN profile also recounts a time early in James’ tenure with the Heat when the team was struggling, and James was doubting his decision to join the franchise. He drove to Mims’ house and had a late-night conversation with him that put his mind at ease.

“I needed him in that moment and he came through for me,” James told ESPN.

Mims will handle a lot of logistics in James’ life, such as cultivating and developing relationships with companies interested in doing business with him to making sure James has his favorite foods on the road. He’s also a truth teller in situations where others might just be yes men.

“He’s there to be a rock,” Paul said in the ESPN profile. “He’s there to be a sounding board. He’s also there to give pushback when LeBron’s wrong.”

When Mims was with the Lakers, he was one of multiple employees who cooperated with a federal illegal gambling investigation that ended with arrests for former Heat guard Terry Rozier and Damon Jones, a former teammate of James in Cleveland.

Mims’ hiring isn’t the only one the Sixers have made to acclimate James to the team. The team also recently brought in Phil Handy, a well-respected player development coach who worked with James on the Cavaliers and the Lakers.