Getty Tyrese Maxey #0 of the Philadelphia 76ers.
Tyrese Maxey took a major step forward for the Philadelphia 76ers last season. Sure, the former Kentucky Wildcat lit up the box score to the tune of 17.5 points and 4.3 assists per night. But perhaps even more impressively, he elevated his status on the team from bench sparkplug to crucial starter.
And yet, the electric guard still isn’t satisfied.
Heading into next season, Maxey hopes to add a few gears to his game. “If I can use the change of pace, change of speeds, and I get to different spots that I want to on the court, then I think it would really help me,” Maxey explained to The Hoops Genius earlier this month.
But it’s not just his own game that Maxey expects greatness from. He’s already set lofty expectations for some of his lesser-known teammates.
Maxey Stays Loyal to Draftmates
Maxey recently discussed the 2022-23 season with Sixers team reporter Lauren Rosen. And naturally, the conversation shifted to which players Maxey believes will have big seasons.
The answer? It might surprise you.
“When asked which of his teammates he expects to have a big year this season,” Rosen tweeted, “@TyreseMaxey says:
Paul Reed and Isaiah Joe, his 2020 draft classmates.
🥺”
Asked which of his teammates he expects to have a big year this season, @TyreseMaxey says:
Paul Reed and Isaiah Joe, his 2020 draft classmates.
🥺
Maxey’s loyalty was on full display in the answer. No, Isaiah Joe and Paul Reed aren’t Joel Embiid and James Harden. And no, neither one is likely to have a breakout season on par with Maxey’s.
But is there more than just loyalty at play here?
For instance, the last time we saw Reed, he was playing real minutes (13.3 MPG) in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. While he was only called in because of a serious facial fracture to Joel Embiid, Reed stepped into the backup slot admirably. In fact, Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice reported in June that the Sixers hope Reed “step[s] forward to take a full-time role next season.”
Joe, on the other hand, has struggled to shoot consistently from deep, which was his primary calling card coming out of college. His career 34.9% from three is below league average, as his effective field goal rate (49%). That lack of reliability is a big reason why he’s a “longshot” to make the Sixers’ rotation next season.
What to Expect from Maxey This Season
While the Sixers might not be counting on breakout performances from Joe or Reed next season, Maxey figures to be a major contributor.
And he’ll need to be, if the Sixers are to make it past the second round of playoffs for the first time since Allen Iverson stepped over Ty Lue. Maxey and fellow starter James Harden could form one of the league’s most potent one-two backcourt punches.
And as Neubeck explained in a recent article for PhillyVoice, the “best case” for Maxey would be to strengthen his connection with Joel Embiid.
“The holy grail for Maxey,” Neubeck wrote, “and frankly for this team, is if he can develop the sort of two-man chemistry with Embiid that he had with the likes of JJ Redick and Seth Curry.”
No, Maxey isn’t the sort of deadeye shooter that Redick and Curry were (though Maxey’s 42.7% from three was third-best in the league last season). But Maxey possesses a skill just almost as lethal as Curry and Redick’s shot: pace.
.@TyreseMaxey says he’s a big Philly sports fan (on the @NBCSPhilly Phillies broadcast right now):
“I go to the 76ers games every so often. The seats aren’t bad, sometimes I have to sit between Joel and James.” 🤣
“[Maxey] possesses downhill speed neither guy could come close to, and is their best bet to replicate the danger of those sets that prey on defenders second-guessing their actions,” Neubeck explained.
If Maxey finds out how to turn on his jets consistently and the shot continues to fall, it might go a long way towards improving a pedestrian team pace that tied for 26th last season.