Tag: Tyrese Maxey

Stephen A. Smith picking Sixers over Knicks in Eastern Conference race

Stephen A. Smith is picking the Philadelphia 76ers over the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference.

The 2024 offseason has been a hectic one in the Eastern Conference. The Boston Celtics are the defending champs and teams like the Philadelphia 76ers, the New York Knicks, and others are in the process of chasing the Cs to take them down.

The Sixers had a huge offseason bringing in Paul George to join Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey and form the most talented Big 3 in the East. They also brought in Andre Drummond, Caleb Martin, and Eric Gordon in an effort to form a contending team.

The Knicks also made a big move by bringing in Mikal Bridges from the Brooklyn Nets. Avid Knicks fan Stephen A. Smith hopped on “The OGs Show” and is picking the Sixers over the Knicks:

If Embiid is healthy, there’s no excuses. Embiid on one leg averaged 35 against the Knicks on one leg. We know how big-time Embiid is. We know that Tyrese Maxey is special. Brother got a $204 million extension. I feel sorry for him. He deserved more. I know that’s the max they could give him you know, but I’m just talking about his greatness. He deserved more. I know they couldn’t give him more, but he deserved more. If Paul George is what Paul George is supposed to be, Maxey, Embiid, and Paul George, as much as I love my Knicks, orange and blue skies, baby. They don’t come before Philly and Boston. We know Boston’s on another level. They the champions. They the reigning defending champions and we’ll see what happens with them, but Embiid with Maxey and Paul George? Yes, I believe in that. That’s big.

It remains to be seen if the big George addition will work out, but it’s obvious that on paper, the Sixers are a talented bunch. If healthy in the playoffs, then they should be the biggest challenger to the Celtics in the East. Of course, injuries are always a big “if”, but Philadelphia should be able to get over the hump finally and make a run at the title.

 

Tyrese Maxey draws praise from new Sixers Andre Drummond, Eric Gordon

Tyrese Maxey draws praise from new Philadelphia 76ers additions Andre Drummond and Eric Gordon.

CAMDEN, N.J. — The Philadelphia 76ers have had a busy offseason as they have made a slew of roster moves and brought in some big names, but one of the bigger moves the team made was to extend Tyrese Maxey for five years and $204 million.

Maxey is one of the top young guards in the league and is only going to get better after averaging 25.9 points and was an All-Star in 2023-24. The rising star is only going to get better and his maniacal work ethic is going to be beneficial for him in the future.

The fact that Maxey continues to grow has caught the eye of new addition Andre Drummond. Of course, Drummond played with Maxey in the 2021-22 season before he was traded to the Brooklyn Nets at the deadline so he has an idea of what Maxey can do.

“He’s done everything that I expected him to do,” Drummond said. “From the day I met Tyrese, I said ‘This kid is gonna be special’. He’s worked—he never takes any days off! He works on his game. He works on his body. He does everything to try to make himself and this team better so you can’t ask for more from a guy like him and everything he’s gotten is well deserved.”

Maxey has taken big steps forward as a 3-point shooter. He took 8.1 3s per game in the 2023-24 season and knocked them down at a 37.3% rate. It’s obvious that he is only going to get better and help the Sixers take the next step.

That is something that Eric Gordon has seen from afar as he discussed his potential fit for the Sixers.

“Very dynamic guard,” Gordon said of Maxey. “I watched him grow throughout his career. You know, big-time scorer, big high-level scorer, and I think this year with now that you have a lot more guys around him, he can be even more of a playmaker than he has been in the past. I think his game is going to just continue to grow and blossom so I mean, I like where he’s at now, and I like where he’s going to be potentially, and I’m definitely gonna fit in on this team.”

As the Sixers move forward, the pressure will be on Joel Embiid and Paul George to lead the way, but Maxey is going to play a huge role in whatever success the Sixers have in the upcoming season.

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Tyrese Maxey reacts to Ricky Council IV’s takeover for summer Sixers

Tyrese Maxey reacts to Ricky Council IV’s takeover to lead the summer version of the Philadelphia 76ers to a win.

The summer version of the Philadelphia 76ers walked away with a 102-92 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Salt Lake City on Monday thanks to a huge takeover performance by Ricky Council IV in the fourth quarter.

Council had 29 points and eight rebounds in the win. He had 19 points of those in the fourth quarter as he threw the summer Sixers on his back. Philadelphia received good contributions from rookies Jared McCain and Adem Bona, but Council took it home in the fourth to lead the Sixers to a win.

Council’s performance caught the eye of All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey who took to Twitter to react and give love to the second-year forward.

The Sixers will look to Council to continue to take steps forward in his development. He had a solid rookie season after going undrafted out of Arkansas and was able to earn himself a standard NBA deal. The challenge now is to continue to grow as a player.

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Are Sixers ready to bring back the Allen Iverson-era black jerseys?

The Philadelphia 76ers appear ready to bring back the Allen Iverson-era uniforms.

The Philadelphia 76ers made the Tyrese Maxey extension official on Sunday as they prepare to take the next step in the Eastern Conference. The Sixers were able to ink Maxey to a 5-year $205 million deal in order to form a Big 3 with Joel Embiid and Paul George.

On Sunday evening, the Sixers posted a heartwarming “welcome back” sort of video to show their appreciation for everything he has done thus far in his four seasons in the league. Maxey was named an All-Star in the 2023-24 season and is likely to make more as his career goes on.

While the video is to celebrate Maxey for everything he has done, there is one little detail in the video that has caught everybody’s eye: the teasing of a return of the Allen Iverson-era black jerseys.

There was also a Slam magazine cover of Maxey in the Iverson-style black jerseys. On the cover of the magazine reads: “The fans asked & Philly answered” which adds fuel to the fire.

Time will tell, obviously, but it appears that the Sixers are finally ready to bring back that style of jersey. Even if it is their “classic edition” jerseys for a season, it would be a great move for a fan base that has been clamoring for a return of those uniforms for a long time.

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Sixers swung for the fences and got Paul George, now’s the time to win

The Philadelphia 76ers swung the fences and got Paul George which means now’s the time to win in the Eastern Conference.

The Philadelphia 76ers couldn’t wait for free agency. The whole point of the 2023-24 season was to have a handful of expiring contracts and prepare for this offseason so they could add to their star duo of Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.

Mission accomplished. The Sixers brought in Paul George on an agreement of 4-years and $212 million. The All-Star forward averaged 22.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.5 assists while shooting 41.3% from deep.

Now that George has been brought in, the challenge is to get through the Eastern Conference. George comes in at 34 years old while Embiid will be 31 before the 2025 playoffs begin. That championship window is only going to be open for so much longer, but Philadelphia has its best shot at winning with these three stars leading the way assuming the rest of the roster gets filled out properly.

However, this has been heard before. “The Sixers have their best shot at winning a title in X season”. It has been said plenty of times in the past only to not get past Round 2 during this current Embiid era.

A big reason for the past shortcomings has been injuries. Embiid has dealt with some type of ailment in every single postseason run he has gone through in his career. When the big fella runs out of steam in April and May due to the nagging injuries, the Sixers have been unable to find that other scorer to help push them forward.

With George now in the fold, that shouldn’t be a problem. The Sixers can turn to him in the playoffs to come up with big baskets in clutch moments that others weren’t able to get in the past. For his playoff career, George averages 21.2 points and 7.5 rebounds which shows that he can perform in the postseason.

After being the No. 1 or No. 2 option in LA, George will be the No. 3 option in Philadelphia behind Embiid and Maxey. Just because George is now in Philly, that doesn’t mean Maxey should take a step back. The star averaged 29.8 points and shot 40% from deep on 9.2 attempts in the 2024 playoffs. That is the type of production that’s needed to win in the postseason.

If George can produce 15 to 18 points per night as the No. 3 option, the Sixers should finally be able to get over the hump. Opposing teams have to pay attention to George and send defensive players his way which allows Embiid and Maxey to get free as much as they can and operate.

Every team eventually gets over that proverbial hump after years of failure. That’s what makes the taste of winning that much sweeter. With George now in tow, the time is now for the Sixers to get the job done in the Eastern Conference finally.

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Tyrese Maxey reacts to Sixers adding All-Star Paul George in free agency

Tyrese Maxey reacts to All-Star Paul George joining the Philadelphia 76ers in free agency.

The Philadelphia 76ers were able to land their No. 1 target in free agency with the addition of Paul George. The Sixers and George were able to come to an agreement on a 4-year $212 million deal to lure the All-Star away from the Los Angeles Clippers to Philadelphia.

The Sixers now have a legitimate Big 3 led by George, Joel Embiid, and Tyrese Maxey. Once they add to the roster, the Sixers should be the biggest challengers to the Boston Celtics on paper in the Eastern Conference.

Maxey hopped on “The Takeoff Podcast” and gave his thoughts on George joining the Sixers:

He’s a guy that you can pick up and plug into any system because of his talent. He’s 6-foot-9, he can shoot the ball, rebound the ball, pass the ball well. Play on the ball, play off the ball, play off hand-offs, play in transition. The sky is the limit.

Once George and the Sixers figure out their chemistry and learn how to play together, then the sky should be the limit for this group. It will come down to the Big 3 gaining chemistry and also staying healthy for when the time comes in the playoffs.

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Tyrese Maxey reacts to De’Anthony Melton leaving Sixers for Warriors

Tyrese Maxey reacts to De’Anthony Melton leaving the Philadelphia 76ers to join the Golden State Warriors.

The Philadelphia 76ers lost a piece in free agency with De’Anthony Melton heading to The Bay to join the Golden State Warriors. When healthy, Melton provided some elite 3-and-D play for Philadelphia as he was somebody reliable on both ends of the floor.

However, Melton was rarely healthy in the 2023-24 season. He was limited to 38 games and one playoff game as he was hampered all season by a nagging back injury. The Sixers looked elsewhere for depth as they brought in Eric Gordon in free agency.

Tyrese Maxey, who was close with Melton, took to Twitter to give his reaction to losing one of his best friends on the team.

Melton and Maxey had their lockers together and would often talk about video games such as Call of Duty for example. The two were close during their time together in Philadelphia and that friendship will continue despite Melton joining the Warriors.

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Tyrese Maxey is latest former Kentucky star in NBA to receive max contract

Tyrese Maxey will sign a maximum contract after his breakout 2023-24 season with the Philadelphia 76ers.

Tyrese Maxey is the latest former Kentucky player to cash in on a maximum contract extension.

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Maxey has agreed in principle to a five-year, $204 million extension with the Philadelphia 76ers, the team Maxey has spent all four of his NBA seasons with.

Maxey had a breakout season with Philadelphia in 2023-24, averaging career bests in points per game (25.9) and minutes played (37.5). He also averaged a career-high 6.2 assists and 3.7 rebounds a night while shooting 45 percent from the field and 37.3 percent from beyond the arc.

Maxey scored 50 points or more in three games this past season, including a season-high 52 against San Antonio on April 7. He also had 51 against Utah on February 1 and 50 against Indiana on November 12.

He was named the NBA’s Most Improved Player in 2024 and made the All-Star team for the first time in his career. Maxey’s performance helped lead the Sixers to a 47-35 regular season and the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference Playoffs. Philadelphia was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs in a 4-2 series loss to the New York Knicks.

Maxey was the No. 21 overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft.

In the past week, three other former Wildcats have signed (or will sign) long-term extensions. Miami’s Bam Adebayo has agreed to a three-year contract extension, reportedly worth $166 million. The Denver Nuggets are working to sign Jamal Murray to a four-year, $209 million extension, and the Toronto Raptors will ink Immanuel Quickley to a five-year extension worth $175 million.

Follow us @UKWildcatsWire on X and on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Kentucky Wildcats news, notes and commentary.  

Tyrese Maxey reacts on Twitter to long term extension with Sixers

Tyrese Maxey takes to Twitter to react to his long term extension to stay with the Philadelphia 76ers.

The Philadelphia 76ers have had a busy free agency period thus far. They made a huge splash by bringing Paul George in on a 4-year deal, they brought in proven veterans Eric Gordon and Andre Drummond, and now they’ve taken care of their All-Star guard.

Tyrese Maxey, who is on the rise in this league as one of the top players in the game, agreed to a 5-year $205 million deal to stay in Philadelphia for the long term. In his fourth season with the Sixers, he averaged 25.9 points, 6.2 assists, and 3.7 rebounds while shooting 37.3% from deep on 8.1 attempts per night.

Maxey took to Twitter to give his reaction to the deal with his favorite phrase: 1% better.

The Sixers will now need to continue to add to the roster around their new Big 3. Those three stars will be enough for the Sixers to be competitive, but to truly contend, they need to add the right role players for the future.

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Sixers agree to 5-year $205 million deal to keep Tyrese Maxey in Philly

The Philadelphia 76ers have agreed to a 5-year deal with Tyrese Maxey to keep him in Philadelphia.

The Philadelphia 76ers have had a terrific free agency period thus far. They were able to agree to terms on a deal with Paul George to bring him to Philadelphia, they signed some proven veterans, and now they have taken care of their rising star.

Tyrese Maxey, an All-Star in his fourth season in the league, averaged 25.9 points and 6.2 assists while taking over the point guard duties amid the James Harden saga. That type of production just showed how talented he is and what he can bring to the table on a regular basis.

The Sixers locked him in for the long haul on a 5-year $205 million deal. Philadelphia now has Maxey, Joel Embiid, and George all signed for the current era.

One has to figure that Maxey will continue to grow. This first All-Star appearance will be the first of many as he looks to take yet another step forward in his game.

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