Ben Simmons: Tyrese Maxey ‘dominated’ in brief preseason debut

Tyrese Maxey logged just 12 minutes in his preseason debut on Tuesday but the Philadelphia 76ers rookie made the most of his time on the court during the 108-99 over the Boston Celtics.

Maxey played the entire fourth quarter and immediately made an impact on the game, scoring eight points, three assists and one rebound. Perhaps most impressive, Maxey brought out a lethal floater that proved to be highly effective in the paint.

“He’s good. He’s a good player,” Sixers head coach Doc Rivers said after the game. “He’s gotta push for minutes because he is a good basketball player. He knows how to play. You can’t speed him up. He’s got a plethora of shots. He makes simple plays. I’m throwing this out to [Kentucky head coach John Calipari], I’ve said this before, Kentucky guys come into the NBA prepared. This kid knows how to defend, he talks on defense.”

The Sixers want to play with pace in Rivers’ first season as head coach and believe they have the personnel that can be highly effective in that department. Maxey injected a burst of energy into the game once the fourth quarter began and dictated the pace of the game as the lead ball-handler for much of his time on the court.

The 21st overall pick showed off his offensive scoring ability while also flashing some of his potential on defense. The Sixers believe Maxey will be able to impact games on both ends of the floor, something teammate Ben Simmons pointed out after the game.

“He dominated once he got the jitters and the excitement out of the way,” Simmons said. “He slowed the game down and got to what he has been working on. I’ve seen him numerous hours doing those floaters and working on his game. To me, it’s not a surprise but it’s great to see all of that work pay off. He’s going to be great, offensively and defensively, once he learns concepts and things like that.”

Simmons told Maxey during the game that he can dictate the pace of the offense when he has the ball. Rookie players have often noticed how much quicker the NBA game is compared to the college level but playing at his own pace can slow things down.

“I think the main takeaway I had from this game is I can play at my own pace,” Maxey said. “I dictate the pace offensively. On the ball, Ben told me, I don’t have to play too fast or too slow, I can play at my own pace. I think that was my biggest takeaway from today’s game.”

The preseason has illustrated how difficult of a transition it will be for some rookies given the shortened training camp period. Although he only played one quarter, Maxey seemingly showed no real signs of a struggle and that will likely give him a boost of confidence heading into the preseason finale on Friday versus the Indiana Pacers.

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