Tyrese Maxey knows his way around the place now.
Since missing the start of his first Sixers training camp in December of 2020 after testing positive for COVID-19, Maxey has piled up many hours at the team’s practice facility in Camden, New Jersey.
At 23 years old, he’s about to play his first NBA All-Star Game in Indianapolis, Indiana.
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“I’m going to do a lot of talking, a lot of experiencing, and a lot of just soaking it all in, honestly,” Maxey said Wednesday night. “It’s my first one — hopefully my first of many.
“But it means something, especially without Joel (Embiid), being able to represent the Sixers in the All-Star Game. For me to be able to go out there and represent this organization, it’s a good thing. I’m very appreciative of it.”
Seven-time All-Star Embiid, who’s out with a left knee meniscus injury, has been one of the few constants in Maxey’s path to All-Star recognition.
He’s rolled with gigantic trades, dramatic role changes, ample uncertainty, and many twists and turns beyond his control. The 21st pick in the 2020 NBA draft is still here, and he’s started to view himself as a veteran.
NBA
“I looked at it as there’s Joel, Tobias (Harris), and then it’s me as far as the (longest-tenured) Sixers,” Maxey said. “I’ve been here four years — me and (Paul Reed). So I was looking around … we traded (Furkan Korkmaz) and I started doing the math. I’m like, ‘Woah, I’ve been here for a minute.’
“I just want to create a culture of when guys gets traded or when guys come in, they feel welcome. It’s hard. I’ve never been traded, I’ve never been on a new team. But I just know, coming in as a rookie, it’s hard to fit in. It’s hard to make new friends.
“I just wanted to reach out to (Cameron Payne) and Buddy (Hield) and just tell them, ‘Welcome.’ That’s why I wanted to come out here when we played the Hawks, even though I was sick. Just tell them hello, tell them that we appreciate them being here and that it’s a brotherhood here. We’re going to show love, and we’re going to go out there and compete as one.”
Maxey can’t help but exude joy and positivity in his work.
However, in Sixers head coach Nick Nurse’s first year on the job, he’s pushed his star point guard to speak up more. It’s fair enough to frequently defer to Embiid’s desires or listen to the knowledge that true veterans like Nicolas Batum or Harris have accumulated over the years. Maxey’s voice has earned respect as well, though.
The Kentucky product plays hard, produces a bunch (25.7 points and 6.4 assists per game), and rarely turns the ball over or makes rash, youthful-looking decisions. He quite obviously loves to watch his teammates thrive, too.
“He’s done a good job. He never stops talking,” Harris joked in November. “Nah, I’m just playing. … He’s growing into a vocal leader. Those things take time. It takes confidence as well. He’s somebody that has a lot of confidence. You can just see that in the way that he plays and his shot-making ability, but everybody on the team trusts him to run the show. We trust him to have the rock in his hands to make the right decisions.
“And so over time, with that being instilled in him … he’s going to get to that point where he is that point guard, vocal leader, and everything that you look for. More times than anything, the leadership starts with just coming in and doing the best you every day. He’s one of the first guys in the gym, last guy to leave, so everybody understands what he puts into the game and he’s not just talking the talk. He backs it up as well.”
Coached and drilled by his dad as a kid, Maxey clearly doesn’t feel overwhelmed by leadership duties or high-pressure moments.
“I think I was a natural-born leader early on in my life,” he said. “I’ve always been used to being a leader. It’s just when I got here, I didn’t know what to say. I had to wait and learn some things. And now I’ve kind of been pushed into this role. For me, I’m comfortable because my teammates and the organization respect that I’ve put in a lot of work and that I have one intention when I step on the basketball court — and that’s to win, no matter what.
“And I talk to people the right way. I try to build relationships with all my guys, all my teammates — as personal as I can get. Not trying to be in their business, but personal as family, as someone we see every day.”
Nurse said that he’ll head to Indianapolis and support Maxey in both Saturday's Skills Challenge and Sunday's All-Star Game.
It’ll be a busier weekend for Maxey than what he experienced two years ago as a Rising Stars Challenge participant.
He’s up for it.
“It’s great,” Maxey said. “It’s a lot different. They showed me my schedule earlier today, and I just looked at it and was like, ‘Well, we didn’t do all this two years ago.’
“I’m just grateful. I’m grateful, I’m excited. I can’t wait to go out there and just soak it all in, man. It’s a surreal moment for me and my family.”