Getty Tyrese Maxey #0 of the Philadelphia 76ers.
Call him a revelation. A diamond in the rough. A player capable of extending the Philadelphia 76ers‘ championship window. An electric player with an even better attitude. But to his teammates, he’s just Tyrese. Tyrese Maxey.
On Tuesday, Maxey sat down with NBA.com reporter Steven Aschburner to discuss his meteoric rise in Philadelphia and his views on the team’s future. And when Aschburner asked about Maxey’s “explosive” start to the season, the former Kentucky Wildcat was all too pleased to share the secrets of his craft.
“It’s just work, honestly. I trust myself, I trust my work,” Maxey said. “And I believe in what I’ve done when no one’s around. So I have no problem performing in front of thousands of people when the lights are on. I just do what it takes to help us to win – that’s the biggest thing for me. Being aggressive and getting my teammates involved, and myself as well.”
A leading early candidate for Most Improved Player?
A “poor man’s Ja Morant?”
For now, the Philadelphia 76ers are just happy about guard Tyrese Maxey’s development and the trust he’s earning from the Sixers’ veterans.
A Q&A from the weekend. t.co/Plg7quxGbm
Maxey Urges Caution on Early Season Alarm Bells
Through this season, Maxey has somehow found a way to one-up his stats from last year’s impressive sophomore campaign. He’s shooting 46% from deep, up from last year’s 44%, and sports a 60.2% effective field goal rate, which puts him in about the top 15% of shooters in the league.
But while Maxey is off to a blistering start, his teammates did not get the same memo. Though the team is riding a three-game win streak, Philadelphia slumped out to a 1-4 record, dropping games to the Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks, Toronto Raptors, and lowly San Antonio Spurs.
But Maxey encouraged everyone worried about Philadelphia’s slow start. The disjointed play will work itself out over the course of the season, once the new additions learn to “gel” with the team.
“Y’know, a lot of people were probably panicking and I understand why. There’s a lot of talent on this team. It still has to gel. P.J. Tucker is new, Danuel House is new, De’Anthony Melton is new, Montrezl [Harrell] is new. That’s four new rotation guys right there. They have to get acclimated.”
If Maxey continues his torrid pace, he should be in line to make his first All-Star game, a prediction made over the summer.
Maxey Predicted to Make All-Star Team
While Maxey exploded onto the season last season, becoming a legitimate third option on a championship team, it’s possible there’s more in the tank, according to Michael Kaskey-Blomain of CBS. In a recent article, Kaskey-Blomain named Maxey one of five players likely to make their first All-Star appearance next season.
“Maxey has an unrelenting work ethic, and if he continues to develop there will likely be several All-Star selections in his future,” Kaskey-Blomain wrote.
Moving forward, Doc Rivers needs to make sure Tyrese Maxey has the ball in his hands a lot, consistently. The kid is special.
Maxey certainly has his work cut out for him to make the All-Star Game. There is no shortage of guards in the Eastern Conference that have similar expectations. Prior to the flurry of summer moves, the East was loaded with Trae Young, Marcus Smart, Darius Garland, Khris Middleton, and Jrue Holiday. Add in Dejounte Murray and Donovan Mitchell to that list as well, who traded the Western Conference for the East this summer.
Is Maxey capable of putting his name on that list? Absolutely, especially if he continues shooting the daylight out of the basketball.