Getty Tyrese Maxey #0 of the Philadelphia 76ers reacts during the second half of the NBA game against the Phoenix Suns.
There are many reasons why Philadelphia 76ers fans fell in love with Tyrese Maxey, and his personality is near the top of the list. On top of being an extremely hard worker behind the scenes, the 21-year-old oozes positivity and has a fun-loving nature.
Maxey’s personality was recently on display during the NBA Summer League. The former first-round pick isn’t suiting up for games but still made the trip to be courtside and cheer on his teammates.
To keep the good vibes going around Summer League, mini-interviews have been conducted with most of the stars in attendance to put on social media. One day, multiple players and coaches were asked what their dream job would be if they weren’t in the NBA. When Maxey got asked this question, he responded by saying he’d want to be Spiderman.
Some of these answers 😂 @NBATV
As far as being a hero goes, Maxey was one for the Sixers last season. After not playing much as a rookie, he was thrown in a starting position full-time and played a pivotal role in keeping the Sixers afloat for stretches throughout the year. Across 75 games, he averaged 17.5 PPG and 4.3 APG while shooting a stellar 42.7% from beyond the arc.
James Harden is Something Joel Embiid Has Never Had Before
At the trade deadline, the Sixers pulled off a mega-deal with the Brooklyn Nets to acquire James Harden in exchange for Ben Simmons and other assets. The main reason behind doing so was to put a legitimate second option next to Joel Embiid as he enters the prime of his career.
Harden’s first stint with the Sixers had its ups and downs, but the former MVP still instantly proved to be a valuable addition to the team. In the 21 games he played in the regular season, he averaged 21 PPG, 10.5 APG, and 7.1 RPG.
While he might not be the prolific scorer he was in his Houston days, Harden can still get it done on the offensive end. In fact, his play on that side of the floor gave Embiid something he never had before in his career, another 20-point-per-game scorer.
Joel Embiid has only had one teammate ever average over 20 PPG. 👀
Embiid has played with other high-level players, but none have been able to reach the mark Harden did this past season. Some of the notable names to have come close are Jimmy Butler (18.2), Tobias Harris (19.6), and J.J. Redick (18.1).
Kendrick Perkins Shows Love to James Harden
Easily the biggest topic of conversation regarding the Sixers this offseason is what was going to happen with James Harden. The All-Star guard had the choice of opting into his $47.4 million player option or becoming an unrestricted free agent. In the end, Harden chose to decline the option and work on a more team-friendly deal with the Sixers.
It recently came out that Harden is planning to take close to a $15 million pay cut to give the Sixers more flexibility in upgrading the roster. If he had not done this, Daryl Morey would not have been able to sign P.J. Tucker and Danuel House Jr. in free agency. Following this act of selflessness, Kendrick Perkins took to Twitter to show love to the Sixers star.
“James Harden taking a pay cut shows me what he’s all about. The true definition of “Losing Yourself In The Team” Carry the hell on… #Respect,” he Tweeted.