Philadelphia 76ers star Tyrese Maxey is facing a new challenge this season as the team’s unquestioned leader.
With former NBA MVP Joel Embiid sidelined for all but 13 games this season due to a knee injury, Maxey has been the team’s lone lead scoring option, averaging a career-high 26.6 points per game (seventh-best in the NBA) on a 30.6% usage rate (10th-highest in the league).
The 24-year-old All-Star speaks on the biggest thing he’s learned as the Sixers have gone through a rough start in the first half of the season at 17-27, just the 11th-best mark in the East.
Philadelphia recently ended a seven-game losing streak with consecutive wins over the East’s best team in the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Chicago Bulls, who are currently one game ahead of the Sixers for the final play-in spot.
“Stay even-keeled no matter what,” says Maxey in a one-on-one interview when asked of the biggest thing he’s learned. “There’s going to be highs and lows. We know those things. It’s the first time in my career that I’ve lost consecutive games in a row like this.”
Making his 1st #NBAAllStar appearance… Tyrese Maxey of the @sixers.
Drafted as the 21st pick in 2020 out of Kentucky, @TyreseMaxey is averaging 25.7 PPG, 3.6 RPG and 6.6 APG for the 76ers this season. pic.twitter.com/tT47YTGMWB
— #NBAAllStar (@NBAAllStar) February 2, 2024
Maxey reveals that he had his “joy” taken from him briefly during the stretches of losing early on in the season, but he’s completely changed his perspective and mindset when it comes to that.
”Early in the year, I think my joy got taken away a couple of times for like a week or so,” says Maxey. “As I’m talking to a lot of different people and talking to a lot of people close to me, I’ll never let that happen again. I go out there every single night and put my best effort on the floor for sure. And then try to elevate my teammates when I do so.”
Maxey stresses that the objective is to make it to the playoffs. The Sixers have never missed the postseason during Maxey’s four years in the league. They’re currently 5.5 games behind the Detroit Pistons for the sixth spot in the East, where they would avoid the play-in tournament as a whole.
Maxey: Experience Has Helped Me Make the Jump to Stardom
The former 21st overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft has gone from a rookie who averaged 8.0 points in 15.3 minutes per game to a veteran All-Star who has now averaged 25 points and six assists per game over the past two seasons.
”I think the biggest difference is just the knowledge, not just of the game, but the entire NBA lifestyle,” says Maxey. “I know exactly what to do. I know how my day is going to go. I know how to recover. I know how to rest. I know how to watch film and get better that way. I know how to teach and help others.”
Maxey stresses that while he’s learned a lot through five years in the NBA, he’s still learning “every day” and says he has yet to even reach his prime.
“I’m still learning every single day,” says Maxey. “I’m only 24 years old, so I have a lot of room to grow. I haven’t even reached my prime, but I am a lot different.”
While he may be just 24 years old, Maxey has already had multiple trips to the playoffs, including three semifinal appearances and a seven-game series loss to the Boston Celtics a couple of years ago in the postseason.
Maxey has gone from being a bench afterthought in his rookie season to a second offensive star next to Embiid to the lead scoring option in less than five years.
”I’m a lot older, a lot wiser,” says Maxey. “I’ve played a lot of different games, a lot of different situations. I’ve been to the first and second round of playoffs, played in Game 7’s, played in Game 1’s, I’ve played a lot. I’ve done a lot so far and seen a lot of different situations. I’m very thankful.”
As a guard involved in the same draft class as No. 1 overall pick Anthony Edwards and No. 3 pick LaMelo Ball, there weren’t exactly high expectations for Maxey as the 21st overall pick. Especially when one factors in that the Sixers had franchise point guard in Ben Simmons. who had already been named to two All-Star games and won Rookie of the Year to that point.
”I’ve always worked to be the best possible version of myself,” says Maxey. “Did I know I could be really, really good? I think so, I saw flashes of it early on. I believed in myself and I believe in God, and I appreciate the Sixers for believing in me.
“Now, I will say this — if you told me in high school that when I got to the NBA, fourth or fifth year, I will get doubled or see box-and-1 defenses, I would not have believed you,” Maxey continues to say. “I’m not going to lie. It’s just a testimony to the work and the respect and the high level of coaching that we have in our league.”
Maxey outlines wanting to improve his defense and his communication as he continues to grow as a star. While his defensive rating (115) isn’t great, it is the top rating among all of the Sixers’ guards this season.
”I think my defense is a big thing that I improved on this year as well,” says Maxey. “But lastly it’s my communication. Every single timeout, every single play, every single break into action, I have to get my teammates together, get them in the right spots. That’s something that I can improve on. Make sure everybody’s on the same page, and I’ve been trying to do that.”
