Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey has taken huge steps forward. The second-year player has done a terrific job knocking down open 3-pointers, and he has used his combination of speed and shooting ability to be effective.
The biggest example came in Monday’s win against the Miami Heat. Maxey had 28 points, including 13 in the fourth quarter, and helped guide the Sixers to a win despite missing both James Harden and Joel Embiid. It was a win nobody saw coming considering the Heat were at full strentgh.
Afterward, Jimmy Butler and the Heat gave their respect to Maxey for the way he played. Butler, specifically, was impressed with his hard work.
“I love that because that’s really all I’m about,” said Maxey after a win over the Los Angeles Lakers. “I’ve always told people that nothing is given to you in this world. Nothing was given to me. I felt like I worked for everything and try to earn everything that I’ve got and I’m just going to continue to do that. I really do appreciate those players.”
Maxey then addressed Butler’s compliments:
“Jimmy, growing up watching him when he was in Chicago, when he was here, and he just plays so hard,” he said. “You can tell that he loves the game and he has really passion for and I heard about his work ethic is crazy as well. I just really do appreciate those guys and I look up to a lot of these guys in the NBA. It’s only my second year, so I’m just gonna try to keep pushing and keep getting better every single day and keep helping us win.”
Heat star center Bam Adebayo also had high praise for Maxey, and the young Sixers guard addressed him as well.
“Those are people I’ve watched growing up,” Maxey finished. “Bam was at Kentucky, so I was a big fan out of Bam Adebayo, shout out to Bam, it’s cool just playing against. He blocked my shot in the last game that was really bad. I don’t get my shot blocked often. So he had a couple of words about that.”
Maxey is catching the eye of a lot of people around the league as he continues to grow his game. Now, he has to sustain it over the last 10 games before the playoffs begin for the Sixers.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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