Representatives from Kentucky should not be missed at the next All-Star Game. And one man should swell this little troop: Tyrese Maxey. With nearly 26 points and 7 assists on average, the playmaker signed his best career season and keeps the 3rd best team in the East running.
In his fourth NBA season, the 23-year-old has seen spectacular progression year after year. Interviewed on NBA TV by Candace Parker on the reasons for his success, to him and his Kentucky counterparts, Joel Embiid's lieutenant has one name in mind: John Calipari.
A symbol of the success of the Kentucky system
“ I honestly think Coach Cal is doing a great job pushing us. I was telling someone the other day that for me, he's done a great job of making basketball different for me. I think growing up I was lucky enough to have a lot of opportunities, a lot of love and a lot of different things. So I worked to reach the top and basketball seemed obvious to me. », begins by delivering Maxey.
The latter considers that when he arrived at the university, the legendary coach knew “ challenge yourself to be better », in training and in matches. “ That's why guys like me, like Jamal (Murray), De'Aaron (Fox), Shai (Gilgeous-Alexander), the list goes on… When they get to the league they succeed because he pushed them in practice and then someone else pushes them », Judges the Sixers player.
Calipari had warned…
He cites in passing his former classmate, Immanuel Quickley, who also influenced him in his progress. “ When we arrive here, we are not afraid of anything. We know that we will try to enjoy the present moment “, says Maxey who could have cited Tyler Herro or Malik Monk, without forgetting Devin Booker, among this army of guards who exploded in the league after their time at Kentucky.
More or less expected explosions. Tyrese Maxey, for example, was only drafted a lowly 21st place in 2020, four spots ahead of Quickley. Which surprised his former college coach at the time. “ Let me tell you, there are a lot of people who are going to regret passing it up. There's about eight teams that are going to look back in a few years and say, 'Look where he went and where he could have gone.' “, had dropped Calipari at the time. Is right.
| Tyrese Maxey | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 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 |
| 2023-24 | PHL | 35 | 37 | 45.3 | 37.4 | 86.8 | 0.6 | 3.2 | 3.7 | 6.7 | 2.1 | 0.9 | 1.6 | 0.5 | 26.2 |
| Total | 231 | 30 | 47.3 | 40.3 | 86.1 | 0.4 | 2.5 | 2.8 | 3.8 | 1.9 | 0.7 | 1.1 | 0.3 | 17.0 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
