LeBron James offered emphatic praise for two of the league’s rising stars during a recent episode of Mind the Game, detailing the work habits and on-court growth of Tyrese Maxey and Jalen Johnson after training alongside both players in recent summers.
Speaking with co-host Steve Nash, James highlighted Maxey’s consistency and dedication, pointing to early-morning workouts as a window into the Philadelphia guard’s rapid ascent.
“Tyrese Maxey has been taking a leap after leap after leap over the last few years,” James said. “I've worked out and trained with him over the last few summers. Every morning 5:00 a.m. we're in the gym 5:30 whatever in the gym. And you just see, his dedication shows up on time and on target every single day. A guy who just loves the game and is taking full advantage of the opportunity in Philly and I love the kid. I talked about it when we played Philly, not too long ago, about how not only incredible of a basketball player he is, but how much better he is as a person, which is saying a lot because he's an unbelievable basketball player.”
Maxey, 25, is in the midst of a career season with the Philadelphia 76ers. Through 32 games, he is averaging 31.0 points, 7.0 assists, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.8 steals per contest while shooting 47.5 percent from the field and 40.5 percent from three-point range. He is logging 40.0 minutes per game as Philadelphia holds a 19-15 record and sits fifth in the Eastern Conference standings.
LeBron James praises Tyrese Maxey, Jalen Johnson as breakout workout partners
James then turned his attention to Johnson, whom he said has benefited from expanded responsibilities with the Atlanta Hawks, particularly amid injuries in the backcourt.
“The second guy is someone with whom I have been working out with the last two summers, Jalen Johnson in Atlanta,” James said. “I think the injury to Trae Young has sprouted even more of what Jalen is capable of doing. They've put him in this Scottie Pippen role where he's playing like this point forward, and not only is he scoring, he's rebounding at a high rate, and he's dishing the ball. We've seen over the last month that he might have three, four, five triple-doubles. Playing the game at a high level and just love the improvement. I love seeing that.”
Johnson, 24, is also enjoying a breakout campaign. Across 34 games, he is averaging 23.7 points, 10.4 rebounds, 8.4 assists, and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 52.1 percent from the field and 36.7 percent from beyond the arc. Atlanta enters the week at 17-21, placing 10th in the Eastern Conference.
James, who recently turned 41, continues to produce at a high level for the Los Angeles Lakers. Through 17 games, he is averaging 21.2 points, 6.7 assists, and 5.2 rebounds per contest while shooting 51.1 percent from the field. Los Angeles holds a 22-11 record and sits third in the Western Conference.
The Lakers open a two-game road trip Tuesday night against the New Orleans Pelicans (8-29) before visiting the San Antonio Spurs (25-10) on Wednesday night in a nationally televised matchup.
