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Tyrese Maxey has been everything and more that fans of the Philadelphia 76ers have hoped for in his two seasons in the NBA. His infectious energy, impact on the community, and dazzling on-court play have been nothing short of extraordinary. The 21-year-old has increased expectations heading into his third season as he has climbed the pecking order and become a crucial part of the Sixers’ offense.
Maxey has handled everything that has been thrown at him thus far in his NBA career and will look to do the same this season. The Kentucky product reinforced his message of trusting the work he puts in doing training camp this year. Doc Rivers and the Sixers have made it a point to ask Maxey to relax with his training habits due to fear of him overdoing it at times. The young guard is especially known for his early morning workouts.
The Breakfast Club
When asked about the origin of these early morning habits, Maxey reflected back to his younger days before the NBA. As he put it:
“I think it kind of started my 10th-grade year of high school, in the summer. I remember I worked out with Rod Clark, who’s now at Tennessee, I worked out with him a couple of times. He just did this thing called The Breakfast Club. He got a group of guys together; one of my best friends, Chris, who goes to Oklahoma State now,” Maxey explained of where his early-morning habit originated.
“We would get up early in the morning, we would go over there. ‘Early’ then was like 7. And then one day, we spent the night at his house. And he was like, ‘Man, let’s go work out at like 4:30 a.m.’. He woke us all up. We were all in there asleep. He woke us up and we went in there and worked out at like 4:30-4:45 in the morning. And ever since then, I just felt like, I mean, when I got to Kentucky, I kind of organized a little Breakfast Club with my teammates. It just felt like my advantage. I just try to go out there and do whatever it takes, man. Whatever it takes to be the best I can possibly be to help the team that I’m on,” per Austin Krell of The Painted Lines.
This habit has carried over to his professional career as Maxey has been seen in the gym bright and early on numerous occasions. He embodies his motto of ‘getting one-percent better every day and the results have clearly shown in his play.
What’s Next for Maxey?
It is difficult to project what is next for the third-year guard due to the massive leap forward he took last season. After receiving limited opportunities as a rookie, Maxey averaged 17.5 points, 4.3 assists, and 3.2 rebounds per game last year. He also connected on 42.7% of his three-point attempts which was the third-best percentage across the entire NBA.
Maxey was thrust into the spotlight during the Ben Simmons holdout and capitalized on the opportunity. He now plays a vital role in the Sixers trio of Maxey, Embiid, and Harden. While his 6’2” frame would indicate he should be a point guard, Maxey is more natural when looking to create his own shot. Following Harden’s arrival in Philadelphia, he saw his scoring numbers increase from 16.9 to 18.7 points per game. With a full season of Harden handling the primary playmaking responsibilities, the hope will be for Maxey’s scoring development to continue.
Expectations are certainly high for ‘The Franchise’ but he has shown plenty of evidence why he can live up to them. If one thing is certain, Maxey will be sure to be prepared when the opportunity arrives.
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