Tyrese Maxey Discusses Confidence In His Three-Point Shot

Philadelphia 76ers second-year guard Tyrese Maxey has never had a reputation of being a lights-out shooter from beyond the arc. Although he was a top recruit in the country during his senior season in high school, Maxey's bread and butter was his ability to quickly drive to the basket and make tough shots.

When he got to the University of Kentucky, Maxey's three-point shot didn't improve much. In 31 games, Maxey hit on just 29-percent of his threes as a freshman. Despite needing to improve in that department clearly, Maxey entered the NBA Draft after spending just one season with the Wildcats.

Many speculated that Maxey's struggles from deep contributed to his slide on draft day. As the young guard was expected to be a lottery pick, Maxey was available for the Sixers, who were on the board with the 21st selection.

After taking Maxey, Sixers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey acknowledged the youngster's low shooting percentage from deep and made it clear that's not an area of concern for the team.

Maxey's shot didn't improve too much in year one. After spending 61 games on the court for his rookie effort, Maxey went 30-percent from three. But as everybody knows, Maxey has a relentless work ethic, and he came into his sophomore season with a lot more skills and confidence in his shot.

Before Tuesday's game against the Indiana Pacers, Tyrese Maxey had drained 41-percent of his threes on four attempts per game. In Indiana, Maxey lit it up from beyond the arc and knocked down the most three-point attempts in a single game in his professional career.

Maxey's Confidence

"I don't think I've ever shot 11 threes in a game, to be honest. I think I made like six or seven in high school a couple of times, but I don't think I've ever shot 11," said Maxey, who drained eight of his 11 three-pointers against the Pacers.

"I got some open shots, and I tried to make them," he continued. "That's really about it. It's my job to space the floor and Jo and James when they play their two-man game and make sure my man can't help. Any time I get my feet set, I think it's going in. It's just a lot of work that I've put in on the shot. I'm just trying to stay steady, stay consistent, and I think that's really just the key."

Ever since joining the Sixers, Maxey has garnered a reputation around the organization as one of the hardest workers on the team. As he progressed through year two in the league, the young guard has constantly made it clear that he doesn't fear failure on the court because of his approach to the game and the way he prepares.

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