76ers News: Joel Embiid Has Always Been Biggest Believer in Tyrese Maxey
This season, Tyrese Maxey has emerged as a full-blown star for the Philadelphia 76ers. Following some of his recent comments, it seems that one key member of the franchise always saw this happening.
One thing that has helped the Sixers start 20-8 has been Maxey's ability to turn it on late. There have been numerous occasions where he's come alive in the fourth quarter to lead the team to victory. Even Joel Embiid has even admitted that getting the ball to Maxey late in games is part of their game plan.
On Friday night, Maxey put together another strong fourth quarter to get the Sixers over the hump. He scored 17 of his 33 points in the final 12 minutes en route to a 121-111 victory over the Toronto Raptors.
After the game, Maxey was asked about the confidence he gets from hearing Embiid say they want him to have the ball late. The young guard went on to say that the reigning MVP was one of the first people to believe he could be a special talent in the NBA.
"I think Joel is like literally one of the first people in this organization that really believed in me when I was a rookie," Maxey said. "He said it early that he felt like I could be special. Having that trust and confidence in the MVP of the league, best player in the world, I just go out there and can be myself."
Through the first quarter of the season, Embiid's vision appears to be spot on. With an opportunity to be the Sixers' lead guard every night, Maxey has emerged as one of the top young guards in the league. So far this season, the 23-year-old is averaging 26.4 PPG, 3.9 RPG, and 6.8 APG while shooting 40% from beyond the arc.
