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Tyrese Maxey’s smile can light up any room. Every time he walks into the gym it’s like sunshine. Those are Doc Rivers’ words about one of the brightest young players to grace the Philadelphia 76ers’ organization in recent memory.
Maxey is a star in the making, one with Sirius potential. Yet the Sixers might have to trade him if they want to acquire Kevin Durant. Let’s table that discussion. Maxey sat down with The Hoop Genius to discuss what he’s been working on this offseason.
One thing that stood out: Maxey wants to push the pace better — not faster, more calculated — and “get more sauce” in the 1-on-1 game.
“Yeah I think one thing I’m really going to try to add to is pace because everybody knows more pace — when I say pace, I mean like slow to fast, a lot of slow to fast pace — because everybody knows how fast I am, and I’m able to get by defenders,” Maxey told Mo Mooncey. “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.
“And, also, just my playmaking ability, being able to read the defense, watching a lot more film so I can know how the defense reacts to certain things that I do and how they guard and how their different coverages are. And just like the 1-on-1 game, being able to get more sauce, get into my spots, and do different things like that.”
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Maxey Dishes on Career Goals, Accomplishments
It’s hard to predict how Maxey’s career will play out. The lightning-quick guard from Kentucky is only 21 years old. But people usually have specific goals and accomplishments they want to hit, right? Points, assists, rebounds, three-point percentage, whatever.
Not Maxey. He lives by the adage of getting 1 percent better every day. Maxey just wants to walk away from the game knowing he gave it all he had.
“You know, I don’t really think about accomplishments like that,” Maxey said. “I do think that 10 years from now, I wanna be able to say that I got better every single day. I continue to progress and I’m the best I can possibly be.
“And when I’m all said and done, at the end of the whole thing, I want to be able to say I maximized my entire potential. I gave my all to the game. And whatever accomplishments that comes with [that], then I’ll be okay with that.”
Maxey didn’t reference Allen Iverson, but it’s hard not to think of the 6-foot, 165-pound guard from Georgetown when hearing that.
‘Most Impressive Young Player’ Around
Rivers has coached up a lot of great guards during his two decades plus patrolling the baseline. None of them are better than Maxey.
“He’s the most impressive young player I’ve ever had, in 21 years of coaching,” Rivers told Vince Carter. “His work ethic, Vince, is beyond belief. Many times already this summer, already two or three times, we’ve had to tell him to go sit down somewhere and go relax.”
The last part needs extra context since the Sixers’ coaching staff had to tell him it’s normal to take a break from basketball. Maxey has never taken a vacation.
