Former NBA Sharpshooter Wants Sixers to Unleash Tyrese Maxey
For the second time in his career with the Philadelphia 76ers, Tyrese Maxey is looking to take the next step in his personal development as his team faces uncertainty in the backcourt.
As Maxey stated on his podcast over the summer, the James Harden saga isn’t his first rodeo.
When Ben Simmons decided to hold out from the Sixers in 2021, it offered Maxey an opportunity to go from a reserve to a starter. With the James Harden saga taking place, there might be a time when Maxey has to go from third option in the starting lineup, to the focal point of the Sixers’ offense from a playmaking standpoint.
In the eyes of former Sixers’ sharpshooter JJ Redick, this upcoming season is the year that the Sixers should fully unleash Maxey, and expect to see even more growth out of the former first-round pick, who has leveled up his game each year since entering the NBA.
Hear It From the Former Sixer
“I think in an even more prominent role, I think it’s natural that we’re going to see a scoring pop,” Redick said in regard to Maxey on The Old Man and the Three podcast. “As a product of that scoring pop, you are going to see more help. You’re going to potentially see the big higher-up. Then all of a sudden, he’s making plays, and potentially those assist numbers go up.”
At this point, Maxey has not only thrived as a scorer for the Sixers but he’s developed some of his weak spots since his days coming out of Kentucky. Entering the NBA, Tyrese Maxey’s three-point shot was viewed as one of his biggest weaknesses. These days, he’s one of the NBA’s sharpest shooters from beyond the arc, drilling 43 percent of his threes over the previous two seasons.
This season, Maxey’s growth as a playmaker will be an area of focus for the 76ers, which is something that his new head coach Nick Nurse has put an emphasis on since joining the club.
As Redick pointed out on his podcast, Nurse not only wants to see Maxey attack more in transition and even turn up the volume on his shooting, but he wants to see Maxey improve with pocket passes and skip passes to the corner.
Catching up to Harden’s assist numbers is a tall task for any guard, considering he’s averaged at least ten assists per game throughout his 79-game run with the Sixers, but if Maxey has the ball in his hands more and is offered the opportunity to create, rather than naturally take a backseat to Harden, the fourth-year guard could find himself in a position to progress as a playmaker.
Maxey’s already proven that he’s able to step into a bigger role and showcase growth in other departments. Once again, the Sixers are hoping he can take the next step in his development.
