CLEVELAND -- 10 games into the 2026-27 season, the Philadelphia 76ers are sitting at 8-2 and as the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. They have beaten some tough opponents and their two losses have come to the hands of the Detroit Pistons on Oct. 25 at home and then to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night in the NBA Cup.
The Sixers are currently third in the league in defensive rating and 22nd in offensive rating. Despite having so much talent in terms of scoring, it doesn't mean the Sixers are going to magically be this offensive juggernaut. It's going to take time as everybody settles into their role and continues to move forward, and the fact that Philadelphia is winning despite also having a lot of work to do, it's a positive sign.
So, even though the loss to the Cavaliers was tough and Philadelphia had a lot of offensive stagnation, it doesn't mean Tyrese Maxey and Co. are looking at the situation any differently than before.
"We’ve done a good job," Maxey stated. "I mean, we’re 8-2. I don’t want to, like, dwell on it too bad, you know what I’m saying? We’re gonna get better every single day. I think we’ve been getting better."
The biggest aspect of Friday's loss that stood out was the fact that outside of VJ Edgecombe, the starters got off to a slow start. Joel Embiid and LeBron James struggled on the offensive end while Jaylen Brown and Maxey picked up some slack, but it wasn't enough.
"We took a step back today, of course," Maxey added. "But again, like I said, that’s on our first group. Other than him (VJ), he started out well. But the other four of us, we were very flat. Very stagnant. We didn’t defend like we were supposed to, and that’s the result. And, I mean, that happens sometimes, I think."
The most positive development for the Sixers to start the season has been their ability to lock in on the defensive end and really make a big difference. That flip of the switch has allowed them to rally from big deficits early on in the season and that has been encouraging. It wasn't there against the Cavs and that's going to happen over the course of an 82-game season. It just isn't going to be there all the time.
"We defend, for sure," Maxey finished. "For the most part, we pretty much defend all the time. Like I said, we didn’t defend great tonight. And then our togetherness. We are willing passers and pass to each other, and we still did that tonight. We just didn’t make a lot of shots and, like I said, you’ve got to be more energetic. I don’t think our energy was there from the get-go, and it cost us."
The Sixers will finish the trip on Sunday against the Chicago Bulls.
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Tyrese Maxey evaluates Sixers 10 games in after NBA Cup loss to Cavs
