Tyrese Maxey looked like he was in midseason form in the Philadelphia 76ers‘ season opener at Madison Square Garden.
Most of the attention heading into the opening night matchup revolved around the New York Knicks‘ ring ceremony and LeBron James’ Sixers debut.
However, it was a lightning-quick Maxey that stole the show. The All-Star guard scored a game-high 28 points and seemed to possess an extra gear compared to everyone on the floor.
During the season opener, Maxey repeatedly used his speed to create separation and attack the basket.
His 28-point effort fueled the Sixers’ 106-100 victory over the rival Knicks. After the game, James lauded Maxey’s stamina, describing him as the “fastest” player in the league.
“I feel like he doesn’t get tired,” James said. “One of the fastest guys in the league, if not the fastest with and without the ball. So, that’s just going to be key for our team to be able to continuously put pressure on the defense, and obviously he consistently can do that.”
Per NBA data, Maxey reached a top speed of 20.2 MPH last season.
Maxey moves like a blur, and his speed impressed newly minted Sixer Jaylen Brown, too.
“The speed,” Brown said when asked what stood out about Maxey’s performance. “His ability to just take off and create. [And put] the defense in a tough spot. The pressure he puts on [defenders], I want him to continue to do that for the whole game if he can.
“If we can find spaces for him to get out and run. He’s going to create offense for a lot more for everybody when he does that. So continue to use his skill to get downhill. That’s going to be great for us.”
🔔 28 PTS (game-high) 🔔 5 AST 🔔 3 STL 🔔 3 BLK
During his storied career, LeBron James has played with or against over a third of all NBA players in history. When asked to make a pro comparison for Maxey, James recalled a former teammate.
“I mean, the first guy that comes to my mind, like with that, with speed, offensively, defensively, Dennis Schroder,” James said. “Dennis Schroder is damn fast to hit the ball, and defensively is damn good too. Yeah, yeah, off the top of my head.”
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The Sixers entered the season as championship favorites with massive expectations. In the season opener, Philly looked the part of an NBA Finals contender, as they defeated the reigning champs on the road.
Six Philadelphia players scored double-digit points, including starters Maxey, James, Brown and Joel Embiid.
Jaylen Brown flirted with a triple-double in his Sixers debut, finishing with 19 points, eight rebounds, and six assists in 34 minutes.
After the game, Brown said that he doesn’t consider the season-opening victory a statement win, and said that the Sixers will continue to gel and build chemistry.
“I don’t think we sent a message [to the NBA]. I think we’re just trying to win as many games as possible, stack days, and I think it’s still early for us,” Brown told reporters.
“We’re still figuring out a lot of stuff. So we still have a lot to learn and grow. But it’s good to learn and grow and win at the same time. Yeah, we got talent. We’re very talented, so like, we can get it going at any night. Anybody can get it going.”
LeBron James Says Tyrese Maxey is NBA’s “Fastest” Player, Lauds His Stamina