PHILADELPHIA–The Philadelphia 76ers boast one of the more dynamic backcourts in the league in the form of James Harden and Tyrese Maxey. The two of them are elite scorers, Harden is an elite playmaker, and they are continuing to grow as a duo.
In Friday’s win over the Portland Trail Blazers, Harden had 19 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists and Maxey only had 13 points, but he shot 5-for-8 and he played terrific defense to help Philadelphia rally from 21 points down to win the game.
Before the contest, Blazers coach Chauncey Billups gave his thoughts on the two guards.
“They’re very different,” Billups started on Harden. “James is like a surgeon. He’s out there, he’s very methodical, he takes his time. He’s seen every coverage that you can possibly throw at him. His IQ is just incredible so he can pick you apart.”
Billups, the MVP of the 2004 NBA finals during his playing days with the Detroit Pistons, knows a thing or two about being a successful guard in this league. When he looks at Maxey, he sees a young guy who continues to grow as a player and has a bright future.
“Tyrese, he’s just explosive, man,” Billups added. “He’s just explosive, he’s always looking to attack, he’s aggressive, downhill player so they’re two different types of guards. You have to prepare for both. Personnel driven, game plan, KYP, know your personnel and you gotta compete against them knowing that you can play very good defense against some of these guys and they’re still gonna score. So what? We’ll live with that.”
The Sixers will continue to look to grow the Harden and Maxey duo when they play host to the Washington Wizards on Sunday. A big key to what Philadelphia wants to do will depend on the two guards and their chemistry together.
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