PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey is exciting a lot of fans lately with his play on the court. Because of his performance, the 21-year-old will soon be in Cleveland for All-Star Weekend. The NBA announced that Maxey is one of the sophomores selected to play in the Rising Stars competition.
Maxey averages 16.8 points per game, with 4.7 assists in his first season, as the Sixers’ starting point guard. While he is a fan-favorite, he is also getting praise from his teammates.
“He's a hell of a basketball player, great leader, at such a young age," backup center Andre Drummond said after Maxey dropped 33 points in a thrilling win over All-Star starter Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday night.
"He has a lot on his shoulders, being a position that he's in, to carry an entire team. He's great. He's a great basketball player, and I'm happy that he's my point guard."
Maxey's 33-point performance sent Wells Fargo Center into a frenzy against Memphis. Afterwards Maxey told NBC Sports Philadelphia that he "just wanted to get the win and put the world on notice as well."
Ben Simmons was the last Sixer to take part in the Rising Stars competition, during the 2017-18 season. This year's format is new, as it will have four seven-player teams in a mini-tournament of three games — all which have a final target score.
It may be worth remembering that Simmons’ ongoing absence is the reason Maxey is the starting point guard. There doesn't appear to be an end in sight to that saga, despite the NBA's trade deadline coming up in just over a week.