The Philadelphia 76ers had themselves a solid summer league experience out in Las Vegas as they were able to finish with a 3-2 record as well as continue to see the developmental growth of their younger players.
One player who had himself a very good summer league was second-year guard Tyrese Maxey. The quick and shifty guard out of Kentucky had 52 points across the two games and he showed off some more improvements such as a willingness to shoot more 3-pointers and an ability to play solid defense on the other end.
The young guard left Vegas after two games to host a youth basketball camp in his hometown of Garland, Texas and his performances landed him a spot as a starter on the “too good for summer league” squad by The Athletic:
The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie on Maxey:
Maxey was the best scorer at summer league in his two games, a downhill guard who got wherever he wanted at all times. Any time he caught the ball with a defender looking to close out on him, he attacked that player’s front foot and got into the paint with ease. Anytime he was in ball-screen action, he tried to square his shoulders to the rim and get into a straight line attacking motion wherever he could. Because he has a terrific combination of shifty ballhandling, tremendous footwork after he picks the ball up and the strength to maintain contact balance, it was hard for any opposing defenders to do something against him. He was just comfortable getting to his spots with patience and simplicity in movement.
Maxey shot 30.1% from deep in his rookie season, if he can improve that up to about 35% in his sophomore season, it would be a huge upgrade for Philadelphia. Due to his ability to take defenders off the dribble and get to the basket, he is already a tough cover. If he can combine that with a consistent 3-point shot, then he can be an electric scorer at this level.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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