Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey started in the playoffs for the first time in his career, and he exceeded expectations with a monster performance for the ages. Naturally, the whole NBA world was left in awe, including Kendrick Perkins.

Maxey exploded for a game-high 38 points against the Toronto Raptors to lead the Sixers to a 131-111 victory. He was dominant from start to finish, recording a 66.7 field goal percentage after his 14-of-21 shooting (5-of-8 from deep).

After the game, Perkins took to Twitter to officially declare that the Sixers have a Big 3 on their team with Maxey's rise. Joel Embiid and James Harden are largely thought to lead Philly, but the emergence of Maxey as a legitimate star is a pleasant surprise and welcome boost to the team.

“The 76ers officially have a Big 3!!! Tyrese Maxey is ELITE and I see why Philly didn’t want to include him in any trade! Carry the hell on…” Perkins wrote.

When the Sixers broke their relationship with Ben Simmons, many expressed their belief that the team was doomed. After all, the Australian playmaker was their best defender despite his limits offensively.

Maxey isn't the defender that Simmons is as it currently stands, but he is definitely a better scorer. Had it not been for that saga, the 21-year-old wouldn't have been given the chance to have a starring role for the Sixers.

Now, the Sixers and Philly fans can only be thankful that Maxey responded to the challenged and stepped up. Now as Kendrick Perkins said it, they might just really have a Big 3 capable of going against the top dogs in the NBA.