Sixers’ James Harden expresses pride in Tyrese Maxey for his work ethic
BOSTON–Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey has been a tireless worker throughout his short career thus far. The third-year guard has consistently taken big steps forward and the Sixers have benefited from the work he has put in on the floor.
Maxey finally broke through against the Boston Celtics as he scored 30 points while knocking down six triples on 12 attempts in Tuesday’s Game 5 road win. He had been struggling against the Celtics all season and it was good for him to finally get over that hump on Tuesday.
“I’m very, very proud of him,” said James Harden. “The first step as a young player in this league is you put the work in. You build confidence in yourself. You build confidence in your game, you find your niche, you find out what you’re really good at, and then just put the work in and he’s been doing that.”
Maxey was a terrific shooter in the regular season. He shot 43.4% from deep and it was obvious that he had put the work in on that shot. He was a guy that Harden and Joel Embiid could rely on when they draw defenders and kick it out to him for an open triple.
“He’s a really good shot maker and consistently, his shot hasn’t been falling,” Harden added. “Tonight (Game 5), he was huge for us for so he puts the work in and good things happen when it’s supposed to happen. Tonight was his night.”
The Sixers had been pushing Maxey to be aggressive this entire series with the Celtics. They know he can do it and they see it every time. However, it can be tough for him to look for his own shot while also having to defer to the likes of Harden, Embiid, and Tobias Harris.
Knowing how Maxey works, he’ll eventually figure it out.
“It’s not hard to do,” Maxey said. “It’s just knowing when to pick your spots and be aggressive because I still got Joel, James, Tobias out there so I got to be careful when I shoot sometimes and I miss, they’re on me. When I shoot I make it, they say great shot. So I love them to death, man. They just tell me keep being aggressive and that’s all you can ask for. For teammates like them.”
The Sixers will need Maxey to keep this effort going when they look to close out the Celtics on Thursday in Game 6.
