The season opener is finally here for the Philadelphia 76ers. They get set to take on the Washington Wizards on Wednesday to begin what they hope will be a successful 2020-21 season following the disappointment that was the 2019-20 campaign.
One player who is getting set to begin his NBA career is rookie Tyrese Maxey. He fell into the team’s laps at 21 overall in the 2020 NBA draft and the expectation is that he will be in coach Doc Rivers’ rotation when the season does begin as Rivers plans to play 10 players.
As he heads into his official debut, Maxey is just thankful for the opportunity to live out a dream.
“A lot of preparation went into this moment,” he said with a smile at Wednesday’s morning shootaround. “A lot of lessons. I thank God every single morning when I wake up. I really appreciate Him helping me get to this moment. I’m just going to go out there, trust my work trust, my teammates, and try to get a W.”
As far as his individual expectations, there isn’t anything he’s looking for from himself specifically, but as long as he stays ready, he will be able to overcome anything.
“I’m just going to try to stay ready,” he added. “Stay ready for whenever my name is called and cheer when I’m on the bench. Cheer my teammates on and be the biggest cheerleader when I’m not out there. At the end of the day, as long as we get the W, that’s all that matters.”
Of course, when it comes to an official debut, there will always be lessons to be learned. The Sixers are taking on a Wizards team led by All-Stars Russell Westbrook and Bradley Beal who have had a lot of success in this league and they offer Maxey an opportunity to learn something new.
“I think you can always learn from anybody,” Maxey added. “Especially those guys the way Bradley Beal scores the ball, the way he comes off ball screens, the way he moves without the ball. Then you have guys like Russ, the way he plays with passion, the way he plays with intensity. The way he can find his teammates off pick-and-rolls, score for himself.”
At just 20-years old, Maxey speaks with the wisdom of a veteran in this league. It is clear that he has the right mindset and a good head on his shoulders as he gets set to begin his career in the NBA.