The Philadelphia 76ers shored up their Wing department after adding Paul George before the 2024-25 season. The city of Philly is buzzing with Championship hopes as the duo of Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey will now have another elite scorer alongside them. On that note, Maxey appeared on Paul George’s Podcast P to showcase his excitement about the latter’s arrival in Philly.
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He seemed happy with how PG-13 fits like a puzzle alongside him as the guard and Embiid in the middle. Maxey also revealed that he wasn’t deeply involved in George’s recruitment as veteran Embiid did most of the work to ensure his inclusion in the squad. But the young guard gave a nod when the trade idea was pitched.
In the 23-year-old’s own words,
“I’m still young, you know small fish, I just kind of just go with whatever they asked me to do, what Jo [Embiid] asks… I was happy with it, when they said the idea, I was like, ‘I think it be a good idea, so I’m happy that it worked out.’”
Maxey was also asked about some advice that he’d give to his new teammate about handling Philly’s strict fanbase. The Philly guard argued that since most of their fans are blue-collar workers, they toil for every penny to acquire the tickets to the game. Therefore, they expect their athletes to leave it out all on the floor. So Maxey relates to them on a certain level because he’s a hard worker too.
The 23-year-old argued that George is a perfect player in such a situation because of his consistent two-way play. Because Philly fans love players who give their all on both ends of the floor. Therefore, having a two-way hustler with a win-first mindset will make things smoother for the squad.
Maxey added,
“P is a guy who goes out there, performs on both ends. So, they’re going to appreciate that. He comes up every single night that he’s playing, he is going to perform at the highest level and win, all he talked about is winning.. Because of that, it’s going to be easy.”
Maxey was also delighted about the off-court prospects after George’s arrival. He highlighted that 76ers fans have extensive knowledge about the game, which would make his interactions with them on the street enriching.
Overall, the 2024 Most Improved Player couldn’t wait to play with one of the best two-way guards in the modern NBA. It will be interesting to see if PG can form a successful tandem in Philadelphia with Embiid and Co.
