Tyrese Maxey ready to take over for Sixers amid James Harden saga
CAMDEN, N.J.–The Philadelphia 76ers are faced with the real possibility of James Harden not playing when the team travels to Milwaukee to take on the Bucks to open the season on Oct. 26.
Harden has now missed two consecutive practices and he is unlikely to play in Friday’s preseason finale against the Atlanta Hawks. That puts Harden’s status against the Bucks and for the 2023-24 season in general up in the air as he continues to wait to be traded.
Therefore, it’s time for Tyrese Maxey to take over the point guard spot amid the Harden saga. Just as he did two years ago during the Ben Simmons situation. Entering his fourth season in the league, he feels more prepared now compared to the Simmons situation.
“Way different,” Maxey beamed. “It’s no comparison, honestly, because at that time, I just wasn’t prepared for it. I was prepared basketball-wise, but mentally, I was not prepared for what it came with. It came with a responsibility of—I was just trying to maintain, honestly. I wasn’t myself at the beginning of the season.”
The Simmons situation was a lot to ask of Maxey. He was 20 years old entering that season and he was continuing to just grow and develop as a player let alone take over the point guard spot on a contender. It took some time to truly understand how to play point guard in the NBA.
“I remember a span of Jo (Embiid) got COVID maybe and Tobias (Harris) may have had COVID and the ball was in my hands and I performed pretty well. Then when Joel came back, I still was deferring solely to Joel,” Maxey recalled. “For Joel to succeed, the other four guys on the court and the rest of the guys on the team have to be extremely aggressive. So that takes pressure off him as well.”
Being able to understand when to make plays for others and when to score comes with experience and maturity in the NBA. Maxey has clearly taken those steps and he’s ready for this role compared to the past.
“I feel like now, my confidence is really high,” the young guard continued. “Mentally, I feel like I’m prepared for whatever it is, and my skills I’ve developed I feel like, and confidence, man. Confidence is a real thing. I use my voice a lot in practice now.”
Now 22 years old, he’ll be 23 on Nov. 4, Maxey feels prepared to do whatever is necessary to help the Sixers succeed when considering everything going on with Harden.
“I guess I’m getting old, you could say,” he laughed. “My birthday’s in a month so I’ll be 23. I just feel more confident in using my voice, in using my skills, and going out there and performing. I know Jo trusts me. I know coach (Nick) Nurse and the team trusts me.”
