76ers’ James Harden Offers Thoughts on Tyrese Maxey’s Bench Role

James Harden discussed Tyrese Maxey's new role on Wednesday night.

The idea of having Tyrese Maxey come off the bench wasn’t something the Philadelphia 76ers considered when the 2022-2023 season started. As Maxey thrived playing alongside James Harden throughout the second half of the season last year, including the playoffs, the expectation was that they would ride it out as the starting backcourt throughout the entire 2022-2023 season.

After a slow start to the year, followed by notable injuries to both Maxey and Harden, the Sixers found success with the lineup that contained De’Anthony Melton starting alongside Harden. As Melton’s defense is a significant improvement with the starting five, and his offense is also valuable, it became clear the Sixers might have to test Maxey coming off the bench.

The young guard proposed the idea to Doc Rivers himself. As Maxey felt he might be trending towards getting moved to a reserve role, he embraced it earlier than expected. Now, for the last five games, Maxey has come off the bench in four outings.

Following Wednesday’s win over the Brooklyn Nets, Sixers star James Harden praised Maxey for his ability to embrace the role and adjust to it quickly.

“It’s easy, he’s a player at the end of the day, so I think all of us are wanting the same thing, which is to be the last team standing,” said Harden. “So whatever role we got to play, especially if it helps our team better. I think all of us are willing to do it, and he’s stepped up in that role.”

The Sixers’ message of “be a star in your role” sits well with the players on the roster. Maxey’s situation is no different. As the young guard understands that he’s a starting-caliber player, who is still garnering a ton of minutes despite coming off the bench, he doesn’t see the game any differently in a revised role — and he remains productive.

On Wednesday against Brooklyn, Maxey came off the bench for 30 minutes. When the game reached the fourth quarter, he played all but 13 seconds. By the end of the night, Maxey led the Sixers with 27 points in their victory over the Nets. 

The Sixers might’ve strayed away from their plan of having Maxey become a full-time starter in year three, but the rising star hasn’t moved away from finding success. Over the last five games, Maxey has averaged 22 points, three assists, and three rebounds while knocking down 42 percent of his threes on six attempts per game. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.