Getty Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was compared to Tyrese Maxey of the Philadelphia 76ers.
Billy Donovan has overseen the development of some pretty big names dating back to his days at the University of Florida. Now running the roost for the Chicago Bulls, the 56-year-old head coach took a moment to comment on Tyrese Maxey’s growth through his first 118 games.
Donovan sees a player making the necessary jump in Year 2, not unlike Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The versatile Thunder guard flourished into a 19-point per game scorer under Donovan’s watch in Oklahoma City. He credited Maxey’s work ethic as well as an uptick in minutes for his breakout sophomore season.
The Philadelphia 76ers have more than doubled Maxey’s playing time from 15.3 to 35.6. He’s averaging 17.6 points and 4.5 assists while qualifying for the 2022 Clorox Rising Stars roster.
“I think it’s always a good sign when a young player is afforded an opportunity to get a lot of significant minutes,” Donovan said prior to the Bulls-Sixers game on March 7. “When they get that experience, you want to see them take another jump. And I think for him, he’s taken another jump from where he was last year to this year. And I do think some of that jump has been based on experience.”
Bulls coach Billy Donovan talking about Tyrese Maxey, interesting thoughts. Compared his Year 1 and Year 2 to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander:
#Sixers #HereTheyCome
Gilgeous-Alexander went from being a part-time starter under Doc Rivers with the Clippers into a borderline All-Star.
“His rookie year with the Clippers, he kind of came off the bench, started some, got to the first round of the playoffs and he took all of his experiences that year, and then the second year he made a huge jump,” Donovan said. “So I give him [Maxey] a lot of credit and their staff a lot of credit. They’ve obviously put a lot of work in and he’s made a huge jump.”
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Donovan Reacts to Joel Embiid-James Harden Pairing
Joel Embiid put an offensive and defensive clinic on Monday night versus the Bulls. He scored 43 points and grabbed 14 boards while Tristan Thompson chased him around like a lost puppy dog. It was his most dominant performance since before the James Harden trade.
Chicago knew going in they were going to have their hands full. Especially with Nikola Vucevic out due to injury and Tony Bradley playing limited minutes.
“Nobody in the league is going to stop him 1-on-1,” Donovan said before the game. “We got to really do a great job, I certainly think the guy who is guarding him, whether it’s Vuc [Nikola Vucevic] or Tristan or Tony [Bradley] you get to do a good job early before he catches the ball because obviously, he shoots threes, he puts it on the floor, he posts, he plays with his back to the basket and he can face up.”
Joel Embiid is making it look so easy against Tristan Thompson and Tony Bradley. He’s looking much more in rhythm than he did against Miami or Cleveland. #Sixers
After the game, Donovan talked about stopping the collective pairing of Harden and Embiid. Harden finished with 16 points and 14 assists.
“You know, I’ve always said this about James [Harden], he’s a guy that has gotten a huge reputation, and rightfully so, for being an incredible scorer,” Donovan said. “But, I also think he’s very unselfish and he’s a pass-first kind of guy. I think he gets a lot of pleasure out of that.”
Tristan Thompson guarding Joel Embiid so far tonight:
22 minutes
30 points allowed
5 fouls
😬
Nets Confirm Ben Simmons Will Travel to Philly
Brooklyn Nets head coach Steve Nash confirmed that Ben Simmons will travel to Philadelphia and sit on the bench on March 10. A previous report had been met with certifiable skepticism but apparently, it’s true. Simmons will be there to support his teammates despite not playing.
Nets head coach Steve Nash said Ben Simmons is aware of the reaction he’ll get in Philly on Thursday.
I was told that security will be beefed up around the Nets bench at Wells Fargo Center for Thursday’s Sixers/Nets game.
“He’s on our team, he needs to be with his teammates and get the whole Philly thing out of the way a little bit,” Nash said, via ESPN. “Maybe it never goes away, but the first time it’s always nice to kind of deal with it and move on.”