Former Kentucky Wildcats guard Tyrese Maxey and the reigning NBA MVP Joel Embiid have been the two most important pieces for the Philadelphia 76ers. However, Maxey did go through some hard times, in his rookie year, tallying eight points per game while playing less than 16 minutes on average but that didn’t deter the high-scoring guard. Furthermore, during his recent sitdown with Shams Charania on Stadium, the guard also opened up about the role Joel Embiid has played in his development.
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Maxey’s growth has been one of the most inspiring storylines in the league, currently registering more than 26 points a game and standing at the fifth position in the Eastern Conference All-Star voting. The incredible scoring talent acknowledged Joel Embiid being behind his immense rise. When Charania asked how the 76ers guard feels about his name being in contention for an All-Star selection, he replied,
“I don’t really think about it that much, honestly. I just go out there and perform for my teammates and organization. We are in a win-now situation space, and in my opinion, have the best player in the world [Joel Embiid]. And when you have that guy in your team, you need to be in a win-now formula every single time you step on the court.”
Maxey also acknowledged the role of Embiid in making him “extremely aggressive”. The guard stated that the Center doesn’t encourage him to play second fiddle at all times, urging him to create shots for himself and others.
“When the MVP is behind you and he is telling you to be aggressive and shoot more and do different things like that, you have to go out there and do that. He believes in me since day one,” expressed Tyrese Maxey.
Maxey also narrated an incident that proves that the 2023 MVP has been behind him since his rookie year. During his rookie year, when before the game, most of the key players were out because of COVID-19, Embiid asked him, “Can you get 40 tonight?”
Embiid’s belief in a player that didn’t even average 10 points a game, showed the trust the Center showed in the guard. In that game, the motivated scorer turned up with 39 points, which was a huge confidence booster.
As he has grown himself as a scorer, the Star Guard has also seen the Cameroonian-American Center develop into a much better leader.
Maxey has seen Embiid becoming more vocal
Since the conversation revolved pretty much around the leading MVP candidate, Charania asked the sprouting guard about the biggest change in Embiid. Maxey replied,
“Communication, his communication has changed a lot. My first year, he didn’t talk, like at all, he barely talked. He was out there on the court, handling his business and moving on.”
“Now, the way he communicates with his teammates, on the plane, on the bus, in shootaround, in practice. He is always involved. You always hear his voice, whether he is laughing, joking, whatever. It means something,” added Maxey.
He also highlighted how this led to an increase in the team’s confidence. Although Maxey admitted that the Center can be highly critical, the team knows that he is desperate for a title and wants everyone to give their best. This transformation has helped Maxey grow his game and the 76ers become an elite team.
However, for Embiid, the real test is the postseason. Despite being in the league for around a decade and being a perennial All-Star, he has never made it out of the second round. Will Maxey’s growth and his team’s increasing confidence help him alleviate that curse?
