Tyrese Maxey's Summer League Stint Has Concluded
After getting drafted No. 21 overall during the 2020 NBA Draft, former Kentucky guard Tyrese Maxey entered the pros at a strange time. Being that the COVID-19 pandemic eliminated any chance of there being a Summer League last season, Maxey never got a shot to play against fellow rookies and young players before entering his first training camp with the Sixers.
Although Maxey proved he doesn't necessarily need the Summer League for his development, any additional reps for a young player such as himself are valuable. So, when the NBA brought the Summer League back ahead of the 2021-2022 NBA season, Maxey got the green light to travel to Las Vegas to play with his teammates.
As expected, Maxey started at point guard for the Summer League Sixers. In the first outing against the Dallas Mavericks, he checked in for 25 minutes. Draining eight of his 15 shots from the field, he collected 25 points in the Sixers' 95-73 victory over Dallas.
In the second game against the Atlanta Hawks, shots were going in as easy for Maxey in the first half. During his first 16 minutes of action, Maxey hit on just 36-percent of his shots from the field.
Despite his first-half struggles, Maxey showed resiliency against the Hawks and turned it around in the second half as he knocked down 50-percent of his shots, collecting 15 points before helping his team force overtime. During overtime, Maxey scored six of his 31 points, helping the Sixers advance to 2-0 on the Summer League with a 96-88 win over Atlanta.
With two games in the bag, Maxey's Summer League stint will conclude. According to a team official, the second-year guard has departed from Las Vegas on Saturday as he's set to host a youth basketball camp in his hometown of Garland, Texas. His involvement in the camp was pre-approved by the Sixers, per a team source.
Without Maxey on board, the Sixers will participate in at least three more games, beginning with a matchup against the Boston Celtics on Saturday. Then, they'll face the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday night and wrap up the Summer League with a finale against a team that has yet to be determined on Monday or Tuesday.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.