As the Philadelphia 76ers head into the 2022-23 season, the focus will be on James Harden as he gets set for his first full season in Philadelphia. The Sixers acquired the future Hall of Famer at the trade deadline in February, and he made a big impact despite not being the explosive scorer of his younger days.
He averaged 21 points, 10.5 assists and 7.1 rebounds in 21 games with the Sixers, and he helped Tyrese Maxey take big steps on the offensive end. Maxey became a feared scorer on the floor, shooting a blistering 48% from deep after the All-Star break when Harden joined the team.
As Harden and Maxey get set to begin their first full season together, assistant coaches Sam Cassell and Spencer Rivers, Doc Rivers’ son, sat down with Noah Levick of NBC Sports Philadelphia and had this to say about the relationship between the team’s starting backcourt:
“He’s picking up everything,” Cassell said. “I’ll make this simple, man: Tyrese Maxey is a pro’s pro. That make sense to you? He’s a pro’s pro. If you find me somebody that works as hard as Tyrese Maxey in this game of basketball — and Tyrese is young, now — I’d like to see it.”
“The No. 1 thing I’d say I’ve noticed is mostly James’ attitude toward Tyrese,” Rivers said. “I think James respects Tyrese so much because of his work ethic. He calls him crazy all the time just because he’ll ask him, ‘What did you do today?’ And (Tyrese) will be like, ‘Well, I got up at 5 and worked out. And then I lifted weights and worked out again, and then I went to the beach and did a beach workout.’ And James, you can tell he just loves it.
The fact that these two are working out together is such a huge development for the Sixers. The fact that Philadelphia will be able to grow this dynamic backcourt for the future is going to pay dividends in a big way.
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Harden and Maxey could be one of the best backcourts in the NBA if they continue to work and grow together. Maxey is also young enough to soak up a lot of what Harden can teach him. That will help him in the future. These two are going to have a lot of fun out on the floor as they move forward.
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