CAMDEN, N.J. — With the Philadelphia 76ers in the midst of a break in the schedule due to the NBA Cup going on, it has offered a big rest opportunity for Tyrese Maxey. The 6-year guard out of Kentucky is having one helluva season averaging 31.5 points, 7.2 assists, and 4.7 rebounds while shooting 46.7% from the floor and 39.1% from deep and playing a league-leading 39.9 minutes per game.
Maxey has been the No. 1 guy for the Sixers on a nightly basis with guys like Paul George and Joel Embiid have been in and out of the lineup due to injuries and load management. That can be a lot for anybody, but Maxey has handled it like a true pro and has taken his game to another level.
George continues to talk to Maxey and give him advice on how to handle everything, but he also knows his young star teammate is going to be just fine.
“He’s handled it great,” George stated. “I’ve talked to him a little bit. Some ideas that I think could help him off the court with recovering, so we’ve talked away from here, on some things going forward, but he’s handled it great.”
A big aspect for Maxey is recovery. He has learned a lot from former teammate James Harden on how to take care of his body and continue to get his work in. That is the big key for being able to handle such a heavy workload which is what has impressed George.
“He comes in, he gets his work, he takes care of his body,” George explained. “He does his recovery stuff, and then just mentally, he’s in a great place. So, him you don’t really have to worry about. He’s gonna do what he has to do. I call him a warrior, man. He’s a warrior, so he’s gonna figure it out. He knows what he has to do.”
In his second season with the Sixers, George has had the chance to work with Maxey up close and see what he can do on the floor and in the locker room. He has observed how he has been able to grow in this league and how good he really is. He didn’t know much about Maxey before joining Philadelphia.
“I didn’t know much about him other than he was a good rising player,” George continued. “I knew the talent and skill set. Obviously, when we played them, James was here and James and Joel was the focal point and he was kind of the third option. So, I didn’t know much about him, but being here last year, I was blown away with how good he was, how mature he was, how instinctively a leader he was, and just to watch him grow over this year how much better he’s gotten is kinda like the sky’s the limit.”
The Sixers are currently sitting at 13-10 and the No. 6 seed in the East which has hindered some MVP talk for Maxey, but George hears the chants at games and is challenging the rest of the team to help him get into the MVP conversation.
“I know the crowd, the fans, Philly chant the MVP and I don’t think he gets enough credit to be in that conversation this year,” George explained. “So, more than anything, I think we as a team have to have his back and make those strides to get better as a team because he deserves that platform with how he’s handled being the guy night in and night out. Guys in, guys out, he’s still performing, and putting up big numbers.”
One final thing on Maxey, his defense has taken leaps and bounds forward. The star guard has taken a lot of criticism about his work on that end of the floor, but he has been much better on that end in 2025-26 and George is noticing.
“More than that, I think the defensive side,” he finished. “He takes the challenge, makes big plays, tries to get stops, tries to guard his position, which a lot of guys don’t do. Especially, now more than ever in this league. So, his future’s very bright and he just keeps getting better and better every year.”
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Sixers’ Paul George gives advice to Tyrese Maxey over heavy minutes
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