PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia 76ers had themselves a very interesting 2021-22 season. Entering the season, they had to deal with the Ben Simmons saga as the 3-time All-Star made it clear that he did not want to return after a disappointing postseason and a tumultuous summer.
Without Simmons, the Sixers did not have a ball-handler so they had to turn to second-year guard Tyrese Maxey to be the team’s point guard. The young man out of Kentucky is not exactly a true point guard, but he did not back down from the challenge of having to do it.
“Just proud of him as a player and person, truly, the way that he handles himself,” said Tobias Harris. “His work ethic, his demeanor, his energy, his attitude on a day-to-day basis. He’s always uplifting. The sky’s the limit for him as a player in the NBA.”
Before the All-Star break, Maxey averaged 16.9 points and 4.6 assists before James Harden joined the team. He handled the pressure of having to run the offense so well and getting Joel Embiid, Harris, and others the ball in the right spots.
“I think just coming into the year on the first day of training camp and him getting to basically have the ball in his hands, we were out there like ‘what the heck is going on?’ and he just game after game, he had a lot of struggles early on the season,” Harris recalled. “We were playing him in the dunker spot for a little bit, right?”
Maxey was able to battle through those early struggles and be able to make a huge impact on this team. His improvement as a 3-point shooter was impressive as he shot 42.7% from deep on the season after shooting 30.1% as a rookie.
“He just flourished throughout the whole year to one of the top young stars in the NBA so for me, being his vet, just proud of his growth and development,” Harris finished. “Truly outside of basketball, as a person, the energy he brings on a day-to-day basis is amazing.”
Maxey was then able to adjust quickly playing next to Harden and he shot 48% from deep after the All-Star break. He was able to progress quickly in that area and it impressed Harden.
“Tyrese, his development, his maturity these past few months that I’ve noticed have been really, really great,” Harden said. “He continues to learn every single day, continues to go out there and compete. He just has that smile that makes guys want to be around him.”
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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