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Following an offseason full of rumors and a stalemate between Ben Simmons and the front office, the Philadelphia 76ers had a lot of eyes on them heading into the season. While Simmons has rejoined the team, he has stated he is not mentally ready to take the court yet, leaving a hole at point guard in Doc Rivers' starting lineup.
With minimal options for a replacement, Tyrese Maxey has been chosen to start at PG. The sophomore playmaker is expected to have a bigger role this season and now is tasked with being the maestro of the Sixers offense.
Throughout last season, a moment was never too big for Maxey. Whenever Rivers gave him a chance to showcase his talent, he made the most of it, most notably in the postseason as he served as a sparkplug scorer off the bench.
Maxey has done more than hold his own in the Sixers' first three games this season. He did it all in Wednesday's season-opening win, tallying 20 points, seven rebounds, and five assists. So far, he continues to appear unfazed on the floor.
Developing Maxey into a point guard is something the Sixers staff has worked on diligently dating back to the offseason, and his hard-working nature has made the process much easier. Rivers touched on Maxey's work behind the scenes during his media availability on Friday.
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“We just got to keep pushing him. We sat and watched film yesterday, showed him some things. Passes, things that he just wouldn't know. He's a sponge. He really wants to be good,” said Rivers.
Following their late-game loss to the Brooklyn Nets, Seth Curry also had positive things to say about his new partner in the backcourt.
“He's been solid. Playing hard on both ends of the floor, good activity defensively. Being aggressive offensively, getting into the paint, making plays. You can tell he's getting better seeing the floor. Just good progress from him,” said Curry.
Since he joined the Sixers, Maxey has always focused on doing whatever he can to help better the team. For a guard looking to improve as a facilitator, he could not have a better group of coaches around him. Having former point guards like Rivers and Sam Cassell in his ear every day is a luxury few young guards have.
Maxey taking the next step in his development puts him in a perfect position to be a huge X-factor for the Sixers moving forward. Finding the balance between scorer and passer will not only elevate his game but the entire offense as a whole. While Rivers has implemented a ball movement-heavy offense, most of the ballhandling duties will still fall to Maxey.
Regardless if Simmons joins his teammates on the court or not, Tyrese Maxey will need to continue to develop this area of his game. But he looks to be trending in the right direction.
