Tyrese Maxey Is Great… Also A Superstar
Tyrese Maxey has shown hints of this throughout his short career, but there had always been a guy in front of him who already had star status hindering his growth. First it was that mistake Ben Simmons. Then it was a future Hall of Famer James Harden, who was pretty much cooked here. Both of these players had to have the ball in their hands, and since they were playing the same position blocked Maxey’s star from forming.
Thankfully Simmons and Harden are both no longer in a Sixers uniform because Tyrese Maxey has exploded for this team. Maxey’s stardom, may have happened in a different uniform if it weren’t for a pair of unexpected three point baskets by Mike Muscala during the NBA’s COVID bubble season giving Philly the Oklahoma City Thunder pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. The stars seemed to align for the Tyrese and the Sixers that year.
Maxey fell to the 21st pick because scouts weren’t sure he could get separation and he shot a lot of floaters when he would drive the lane. He still shoots floaters when driving, but his floater is incredible and he makes far more than he misses. About that seperation thing… He’s one of the fastest players in the league. Tyrese is routinely blowing by players and getting to the rim for easy buckets.
In what could’ve been a pack it in game, down 3-1 in a hostile Madison Square Garden, Maxey scored 46 to keep the team alive for at least 1 more game. Of those 46 points were a very Reggie Miller-esque 7 points in a few second span, including the game tying 3-pointer from the logo. The only thing disappointing about this was the fact that it wasn’t a national game because Mike Breen was calling the game in his usual Knicks TV play by play gig. Breen’s call is still great, but if he were outside of his Knicks job he might have dropped like seven “BANGS!” on the call of Maxey’s logo shot. Watch this video of how Breen sounded on MSG, but in your head add Mike Breen screaming BANG a few times where appropriate.