The Philadelphia 76ers have a lot of young players on the roster who have a lot of potential in this league due to their ability to do many things out on the floor. One example is rookie Tyrese Maxey who is showing improvement on the offensive end in terms of his jumper while also making strides on the other end.
In Saturday’s win over the Detroit Pistons, Maxey had 22 points along with five rebounds and he had two steals while starting in place of the injured Ben Simmons. It was an impressive showing for the rookie out of Kentucky and he was able to pressure Detroit’s guards all night long as his activity on the defensive end caused a lot of issues for the Pistons.
“The thing I was, even more [impressed with], that won’t show up in the stats, I thought is ball pressure, we challenged him to get up every single time and turn him and I thought he did that,” said coach Doc Rivers. “He was exhausted at the end of the game because of that, but it was funny. I told him defense is hard, it exhausts you, but you can do both. I thought he did that. I was really happy for him.”
Maxey has a lot of guys on the team he can learn defensive tips from such as second-year guard Matisse Thybulle who has been one of the top defensive players in the league. His play on that end has helped Maxey take steps forward and it shows in his play.
“I watched a lot of Matisse’s film, and I just learned so much in a little span of knowing him,” Maxey explained. “Just talking to him and watching that film, and I just had to get better and better every single day. 1% better every single day on the defensive end.”
Philadelphia forced 18 turnovers from Detroit on Saturday and a lot of that has to be credited to Maxey’s activity on that end. He pressured a lot of their guards and they were being rushed into making bad decisions which resulted in turnovers.
As Philadelphia continues to get themselves into gear for the playoffs, Maxey will play a big role in all of that with his play on that end.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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