Getty Tyrese Maxey #0 of the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Philadelphia 76ers landed a star in Tyrese Maxey. After whiffing on almost all of their top-lottery talents during The Process — Nerlens Noel, Jahlil Okafor, Markelle Fultz, and, to an extent, Ben Simmons — the Sixers found themselves a star in the back of the first round in 2020.
Maxey was crucial to the Sixers’ success last season. But it didn’t start out that way. Last summer, he was coming off a good-not-great rookie campaign and was expected to continue establishing himself as a bench-unit sparkplug.
But when Ben Simmons left a massive hole in the starting lineup, Maxey stepped in. And soon, any fears over losing a young star in Simmons were patched up by the effervescent Maxey, whose speed and smile wowed fans.
By all indications, Maxey has leapfrogged Tobias Harris in the Sixers’ pecking order. He’s shown that he can hang with James Harden and Joel Embiid. In a recent mock draft, Bleacher Report had him off the board at No. 5 — 16 slots up from his original position. Tyrese Maxey is a no-doubt-about-it rising star.
And according to GM Daryl Morey, Maxey is vital to the Sixers’ hopes next season.
“He’s key to our season,” Morey said on The Take Off with John Clark podcast. “Obviously the new players on the team I think are two-way players and are going to set the stage, but winning the title really comes down to your best players. And probably the key things are we need Joel to yet again give us an MVP-level performance; we need James to be just himself — we don’t even need five years ago James, we need the guy we saw last year for most of the games; but the biggest inflection point is probably we need Maxey to take another step forward.”
But that’s not the only thing Morey had to say about the young Sixers guard.
Morey: Maxey ‘Way Ahead of Schedule’
Generally, it takes players of all types a little bit of time to adjust to NBA life. Not only the on-court talent, but the daily grind of travel, games, and practices can take a toll on young players. In some instances, it can stunt growth or prevent young stars from achieving their potential.
That’s not the case for Maxey, according to Morey.
“And [Maxey] can do it. He’s putting the work in. Look, it’s really hard. His rookie year was way ahead of schedule. His second year was way, way ahead of schedule. And to ask him to do another leap forward is asking a lot, but we do need it. But I wouldn’t be surprised if he does it given how much time he puts in,” Morey elaborated.
The Sixers might be hard-pressed to find yet another gear for Maxey to find. But perhaps tightening up on defense (he averaged .7 steals last season) could be a place to start. In addition, Maxey can show that last year’s 42.7% from three wasn’t an aberration by continuing to drill the ball from deep.
Morey: Playing in Philadelphia Requires a ‘Special Mindset’
In addition to heaping praise on the uniquely talented Maxey, Morey explained what it’s like building a team for the uniquely attuned Philadelphia fan base.
“And I never understood this being in Houston when people would say, ‘You need to have a special mindset to pay in Philly.’ … I do think, I really do pay attention to the mindset of players … can they handle playing in Philadelphia, because I do think it’s a different thing,” Morey explained.
No, Philadelphia certainly isn’t for the faint of heart. But as demanding as the fans are, they are also welcoming. If Maxey, Embiid, and Harden bring a championship to Philadelphia, the trio will be legitimate heroes to the city.