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Much has been said about the role a fully healthy James Harden will play in the Philadelphia 76ers' quest to win their first championship in 40 years. Harden and MVP candidate Joel Embiid will still have the weight of heavy expectations riding on their shoulders. However, it appears as if Tyrese Maxey is more than ready to share in their burden after an insane first-half preseason explosion against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The 21-year old guard scored 21 points on a sterling 9-11 from the field, continuing his rampage against preseason defenses. Maxey was looking like the Allen Iverson of preseason out there.
Tyrese Maxey in the 1st half vs. the Cavs
• 21 PTS
• 9-11 FG pic.twitter.com/4VoR5qpz8Y— NBA Memes (@NBAMemes) October 6, 2022
This performance comes on the heels of a 20-point, 6-8 performance against the Brooklyn Nets in their preseason opener. Tyrese Maxey appears to have gotten better, which should terrify the rest of the NBA.
Tyrese Maxey 2 preseason games. Only playing in the first half
41 points 🔥🔥
15-19 (79%)
29 minutes— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) October 6, 2022
We don't talk enough about the way Tyrese Maxey just keeps getting better and better at basketball
— Lauren Rosen (@LaurenMRosen) October 5, 2022
Tyrese Maxey is going to be a fucking PROBLEM this year
— Matt (@INMEnterprises) October 5, 2022
Maxey was drafted as the 21st overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, a steal in every sense of the word. Limited to a bit role in his rookie season, Maxey emerged during the 2021-22 campaign following the Ben Simmons saga. He averaged 17.5 points and 4.3 assists on an efficient 48.5 shooting percentage from the field, and he rarely turned the ball over, having done so only 1.2 times a night. The juxtaposition between Simmons and Maxey only endeared the third-year guard out of Kentucky even more to a fanbase as passionate as the Sixers'.
“Billy, this is Tyrese Maxey…
He’s a 21 year old, 6’2 guard from Kentucky. He somehow fell to Philadelphia in the 2020 draft at pick 21. He’s quickly become a fan favorite & appears to be making yet another jump this year…
His defect is that he’s actually perfect.” pic.twitter.com/kjMgPJvhXU
— Josh Reynolds (@JoshReynolds24) October 6, 2022
Philadelphia fans are on cloud nine right now. Not only do Tyrese Maxey and the Sixers look promising, their beloved Philadelphia Eagles are also tearing up the competition, starting the season 4-0 thanks in no small part to Jalen Hurts' breakout year. With Hurts, only 24, joining Maxey, 21, as the next big things in Philadelphia sports, fans are set to be spoiled for years to come.
The improvements Tyrese Maxey and Jalen Hurts have are probably the two most impressive jumps I've seen from Philly athletes in a long time. Especially coming at the same time.
— Eliot Shorr-Parks (@EliotShorrParks) October 6, 2022
There should be no concerns for Maxey in terms of usage in the upcoming season. Despite a 2.3 percentage point drop in Maxey's usage rate since James Harden's arrival, he has maintained his scoring average after he tallied 18 points a night with The Beard around.
In fact, Harden even brought out the best in Tyrese Maxey. Maxey shot 51.5% from the field and 50% from deep in 21 games alongside the eight-time All-Star. Perhaps an even bigger breakout from the speedy combo guard is just what the Sixers need to get over the playoff hump.
