The Philadelphia 76ers are undergoing some different changes up and own the roster. The situation surrounding Ben Simmons has been a lot for everybody to handle and it is putting players in different roles that they have not been in before.
For example, young Tyrese Maxey has been thrust into a position where he has to lead the offense at times. That was Simmons’ position for a while, but now, Maxey has to assume more responsibility.
The second-year guard from Kentucky has been looking to find a balance in his new role and after a rough go at it in the first preseason game, he is beginning to figure it out.
“I think the first couple of days of training camp, I got away from being Tyrese Maxey, and I told Spence (Spencer Rivers) after the first preseason game in Toronto, I’ll never let myself do that again. I can’t, no matter what the situation is, I can’t get away from being Tyrese Maxey,” said the young guard. “That’s what helps the team win.”
In his rookie season, Maxey averaged 8.0 points and 2.0 assists as his main role was to score off the bench. That very well could be the case again with the return of Simmons so that is another challenge that he will have to tackle in this upcoming season.
“You got to be mentally focused, mentally locked in,” Maxey explained. “At the end of the day, this is a job and whatever the situation is, you have to be ready and be prepared for it. Last year was the biggest test of my life as far as not knowing when I was going to play, not knowing where my role was going to be, but one thing I always told myself was I was going to stay ready for the moment and do whatever I need to do to help this team win.”
One aspect that Maxey does want to bring to the position in his second season is an ability to knock down the 3-pointer. He had been working on that shot all offseason and now, he wants to bring it to the floor during the season. He wants to be able to play more off of guys like Joel Embiid, Tobias Harris, and Simmons–if he does end up playing. That makes Maxey more dangerous on that end.
“Off the dribble and catch and shoot,” the young guard added. “Playing with guys like Joel, Ben, Tobias, those guys create situations where my man has to help. To be able to stay on the court, you have to knock down shots and then just being an on-ball player, I like being able to shoot off the dribble as well.”
This will be a challenging season for Maxey no matter what the circumstance will be. Whether he is the starting point guard and he has to be able to make plays for others while also adding his scoring prowess, or he has to come off the bench, he will have to strike that balance for this team.
“As far as balancing out, I feel like I’m doing a pretty decent job,” he finished. “I’m only going to get better and better.”
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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