If James Harden and Joel Embiid are the core of the current Sixers, Tyrese Maxey is the free electron that can allow the team to aim very high. This is why the pivot did not hesitate to lecture his young teammate, on February 8, after a defeat against the Celtics which he finished with 6 points at 3/14 shooting.
“I told him we weren’t going anywhere unless he was aggressive and playing free.” had then explained Joel Embiid. “That’s all I ask of him.”
Since then, Tyrese Maxey has responded to his leader, with an average of 21.1 points at 53% success, including 49% from afar!
In a “weird mental space”
However, the rear’s third campaign was not necessarily easy. Sidelined for six weeks following a broken foot, he struggled to find rhythm on his return, with Doc Rivers trying him out as a sixth man before eventually reinstating him in the team’s major five during the end of season.
“I was just in a weird mental space”recognizes Tyrese Maxey, who explains “to come out of one’s own head” during this period when he was again looking for his role, with the Philadelphia Inquirer. “Once I got out of it, I think it helped us win games and got me back to being myself. I think I’m back to where I was at the start of the season, before I got injured. »
The guard explains that this experience brought him back to his year with the Kentucky Wildcats, John Calipari having started his college campaign on the bench.
“It was the first time I was like, ‘Damn, why am I not going to play? I was pretty good in pre-season. But [John Calipari] used that to motivate me and allow me to show the world what I could do. And since then, I’ve been myself. »
The confidence of “the best player in the world”
Being himself, for the Sixers, means being able to rely on his consistent offensive aggression.
“Even when I miss, I can’t be shy”he explains. “I can’t be scared. When I’m on the pitch with Jo and James, or Tobias (Harris), they get so much attention and they need space. They need players who put the shots. They need players who shoot fast to free them”.
With that in mind, Tyrese Maxey doesn’t need to think too much.
“What I tell him is, ‘Don’t think. Just be aggressive. I want to have to tell you to stop shooting, not to do more'” thus assures Doc Rivers, who takes up the speech of Joel Embiid. Moreover, the Cameroonian’s frankness appeals to Tyrese Maxey, who explains that the pivot is very different from the image he gives.
“He really is a better person (than you imagine). A lot of people don’t know that. Before coming here, I wondered. But as soon as I arrived, I understood. ‘But he’s not bad, on the contrary he’s a great person’. And when probably the best player on the planet believes in you, you can believe in yourself. You can challenge the whole world” thus concludes the back of the Sixers.
| Tyrese Maxey | Percentage | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Crew | GM | Minimum | Shots | 3 points | LF | Off | Def | Early | pd | party | Int | bp | CT | Points |
| 2020-21 | PHL | 61 | 15 | 46.2 | 30.1 | 87.1 | 0.2 | 1.5 | 1.7 | 2.0 | 1.3 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 8.0 |
| 2021-22 | PHL | 75 | 35 | 48.5 | 42.7 | 86.6 | 0.4 | 2.9 | 3.2 | 4.3 | 2.1 | 0.7 | 1.2 | 0.4 | 17.5 |
| 2022-23 | PHL | 60 | 34 | 48.1 | 43.4 | 84.5 | 0.4 | 2.6 | 2.9 | 3.5 | 2.2 | 0.8 | 1.3 | 0.1 | 20.3 |
| Total | 196 | 29 | 47.9 | 41.4 | 85.8 | 0.3 | 2.4 | 2.7 | 3.3 | 1.9 | 0.7 | 1.1 | 0.3 | 15.4 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Shots made / Shots attempted; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def= defensive rebound; Tot = Total bounces; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost bullets; Ct: Counters; Points = Points.
