Feb 22, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey (0) shoots over Minnesota Timberwolves guard Terrence Shannon Jr. (1) during the first half at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images
More and from farther away. That is what Sixers coach Nick Nurse wants out of guard Tyrese Maxey when it comes to shooting three pointers.
It may sound a little odd, seeing as the sixth-year guard just became the organization's all-time leading three-point maker in the team's win over the Miami Heat on Thursday, surpassing Hall of Famer Allen Iverson. But that's what the coach and the player believe would help make the team better. And as difficult as it may sound, both believe it can be an even easier task than the way Maxey has accumulated the 887 record-setting number.
"You know my thoughts on it," Nurse said recently. "Take more, take them from further away. All that stuff. Just continue to encourage him to do that stuff. I think that he's such a good shooter and has such incredible range. But I still think there's more there. I really do. I think there's more attempts, there's more distance. There's more to him doing that aspect of the game. I think he's getting there, but I think there's still some ways to go with this. Listen, becoming a great shooter like he has is a tremendous credit to the work that he's put in.
"I just think the dribble up one in transition is so difficult to guard and requires the least amount of effort. Come up the floor and if you can get teams that have to pick you up that high, that's just immediately going to help your offense and create space for everybody."
If you've noticed through Nurse's tenure in Philadelphia, creating the mismatch at the offensive end is something he wants to do as soon as possible. It's why you'll see Joel Embiid bring the ball up the floor against a defender he can either immediately take to the basket or drive around for an open three or mid-range jumper. Mismatches being gotten as soon as possible is something Nurse craves. And having Maxey with a mismatch as he has the ball crossing halfcourt leads to what they both want.
"I definitely agree with that, shooting more in transition," said Maxey. "It's been something that he's emphasized to me in the last two years just because of how these guys have been guarding me in the halfcourt. I definitely have tried to do that this year. There's a lot of things that I want to try to work on to get better in the three-point area and I will continue to get better."
The thought of success pulling up just after halfcourt is two-fold. First, with his tremendous speed and driving ability, defenders have to respect getting beat off the dribble by Maxey, therefore backing up into the lane so as not to let that happen. That means an open three from distance. If defenders try to play up on him, the it's a dribble-drive that either leads to a basket near the rim, a kick-out to someone else, or a foul. It also saves his legs from having to work off picks, beat double-teams or sprinting off the ball to find openings to get the ball.
As for beating the franchise record, it couldn't have played out better for Maxey.
"I wanted to do it at the crib," said Maxey of Xfinity Mobile Arena. "The fans are a big part of my success. I'm very thankful for all the fans in Philadelphia. We have a special connection. And to wear these jerseys (2001 throwbacks), that's fun. (Allen Iverson) is someone that we all looked up to, that I looked up to being a small guard. Just being able to pass him in anything in basketball, that's cool. To have my name next to his is a blessing."
Joel Embiid didn't participate in a Saturday workout before the team flew to Boston for a Sunday night game against the Celtics. He took a knee to his right side in the win over Miami and was in obvious discomfort throughout the game, though he did hit the game-clinching three pointer with 29 seconds left. His availability for Sunday is TBD.
