FORT COLLINS, Colo. — The Philadelphia 76ers are going to be looking to Tyrese Maxey as well as De’Anthony Melton and Patrick Beverley to handle the ball until the James Harden saga is resolved.
The Sixers are expecting Harden to be with them during training camp, and it appears he will show up. But there is no guarantee he will be the most engaged player on the floor. His goal is to make the team as uncomfortable as he possibly can to continue pushing for a trade.
That means Maxey will have to be better as a playmaker and take on more responsibility in that area. Coach Nick Nurse has said he would like the young guard out of Kentucky to do more in terms of his playmaking.
“The biggest thing was self-creation and creation for others,” Maxey explained. “Getting into the paint, creating for a guy like Paul Reed, get into the paint getting Mo Bamba a shot or De’Anthony Melton a shot or Tobias a shot or Danuel (House Jr.) or PJ (Tucker) or somebody like that. So I think that was the biggest thing that I did.”
The biggest weapon Maxey has is his speed. His ability to get into the paint and be able to make tough layups should be able to help in his development as a playmaker. When the defense collapses on him, he has to be able to make the right decisions.
“I think a lot of like 4-on-4 stuff,” Maxey added. “Where like I had to make reads and score if the defense collapses on me. Then I’m kicking it out for the pocket pass, overhead, the pocket pass. So it’s been pretty good.”
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