Paul George’s arrival at the Philadelphia 76ers sparked celebrations around the city. However, the excitement soon met a bittersweet twist for his teammate, Tyrese Maxey. The youngster wasn’t pleased to see PG scoring on him in a highlight mix, leading him to voice his frustration recently on Podcast P with Paul George.
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Maxey admitted being shocked upon seeing many of these clips in the 76ers’ announcement post. He even considered contacting the franchise’s media department to question their decision. Despite disliking this moment, he soon refocused on the excitement around PG’s arrival. Reflecting on the details of that emotional rollercoaster day, the 23-year-old stated,
“I was the highlight they posted when he [Paul George] signed. I’m like, ‘Listen here, I thought he was on my team. Why are they posting so many highlights of him scoring on me?’… I almost texted the people like, ‘Hey, what are we doing? We’re on the same team’… I’ll break that ice. I was not very happy about that… I’m happy he is here, so it’s all good”.
This perfectly showed both sides of the story. On the one hand, the 76ers guard had good reasons to feel frustrated by the announcement post, as it overshadowed his skill sets. On the other hand, with the franchise possibly moving toward a more promising future, his optimism eventually outweighed his annoyance.
After all, George’s addition has formed one of the most impressive Big 3s on paper, with each star bringing complementary skills. Joel Embiid, the team’s centerpiece and 2023 MVP, remains a powerhouse in the paint. Maxey, in particular, exceeded expectations last season as a guard, averaging a career-high 29.8 points per game. Meanwhile, PG is an outstanding wing scorer, going 47.1% from the field.
Maxey later highlighted this point, commenting, “The fit is crazy if you think about it. We got the best big man in the world in Joel and then I myself am a guard and then a wing. You can’t ask for nothing better than that… and the place where we at and the city where we at, it seems like the times of our careers are all the right timings”.
This move has undoubtedly increased their chances of contending for an NBA title. However, they’ll first need to navigate fierce competition from the East, including the Milwaukee Bucks, the New York Knicks, and the defending champions, the Boston Celtics. Can they pull it off and lead the franchise to its first NBA title in over 40 years? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
