Tyrese Maxey Hopes to Continue Growing With James Harden on Sixers

During his rookie season, Philadelphia 76ers’ first-rounder Tyrese Maxey played behind the three-time All-Star, Ben Simmons. Since Simmons held out from the

During his rookie season, Philadelphia 76ers’ first-rounder Tyrese Maxey played behind the three-time All-Star, Ben Simmons.

Since Simmons held out from the Sixers throughout the 2021-2022 NBA season as he wanted a trade, Maxey went from learning from Simmons to replacing the veteran.

Maxey was thrown into the fire during his sophomore effort. The young guard not only survived, but he thrived as he doubled his production and showed significant improvement.

When the Sixers eventually washed their hands of the Simmons saga and landed an All-Star guard in return, Maxey remained in the starting lineup and played alongside James Harden.

Harden didn’t get too much time to get comfortable in the Sixers’ system. Since he missed a handful of games due to a hamstring injury, Harden played in just 21 matchups before the playoffs.

For Maxey, the adjustment period was difficult to overcome. “Him coming along midseason is tough,” the young guard said last week. “No training camp [together], so we had to learn a lot of things on the fly and learn how each other plays on the fly, and it happened.”

Harden’s time in Philly could be short-lived if the veteran declines his player option and reaches a new deal elsewhere in free agency. However, Harden assured reporters that he intended to return to the Sixers for the 2022-2023 season.

“Yeah, We’re trying to win a championship — that’s the goal,” said Harden. “So, whatever it looks like to continue to build, us individually, continuing to get to know each other and find out what works and what doesn’t work, things like that. I’ll be here — I’ll be here. Whatever allows this team to grow and be better and do the things necessary to win and compete at the highest level.”

Shortly after Harden guaranteed he’d be back in a Sixers uniform for next season, Maxey expressed excitement as he seems to look forward to continuing to grow his chemistry playing with the ten-time All-Star. 

“That’s great he wants to be a part of this team,” Maxey said. “He wants to win a championship here and try to bring joy to the organization. He’s a great piece, and we really appreciated him coming along.”

A lot can change over the course of an offseason. While Maxey’s departure is unlikely — and Harden’s seems out of the question as of now — the soon-to-be third-year guard hopes to run it back with a true opportunity to get the starting backcourt right.

“If he’s back, that’ll be great,” Maxey finished. “I can’t wait. Hopefully, I’m here, too, to play with him.”

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

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