With the Philadelphia 76ers’ season now over, members of the roster have been speaking to the media as part of their exit interviews. Multiple Sixers players have used that time to praise Tyrese Maxey‘s improvements.
Eric Gordon became the latest to share his thoughts on Maxey. Gordon shared his belief that Maxey has the ideal personality to emerge as a leader within the Sixers’ locker room.
“I think this is a good learning process for him,” Gordon said, via Ky Carlin of SixersWire. “I mean, I encourage him to speak up as much as he can with his personality, his demeanor, his willing to work and I mean, it’s something to—it’s contagious toward our team. Definitely continue, not just performance on the floor, just continue talking to the guys, because he has a good relationship with everybody, and he has a personality to really take this team to another level based on his personality.”
Maxey is one of the Sixers’ best players. He will likely spearhead the roster in a few more years, with a supporting cast being built around his skill set. For now, though, Maxey is the third star in Philadelphia’s rotation. By having Joel Embiid and Paul George around him, Maxey is able to develop his game without the pressure of a normal franchise cornerstone.
Andre Drummond Also Praised Maxey
During his own media availability, veteran big man Andre Drummond also heaped praise onto Maxey. The veteran big man noted how Maxey’s development has been fun to watch. Drummond, like Gordon, also pinpointed the leadership qualities Maxey brings to the locker room.
“The evolution of Tyrese Maxey has been amazing to watch,” Drummond said. “His confidence, the way that he plays, just the chip on his shoulder that he plays with on a nightly basis and his want to be a leader. I think he started figuring it out, every time I’ve seen him from years ago to being back here, his leadership qualities have grown.”
Maxey played in 52 games this season. He averaged 26.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 6.1 assists per game. He shot 43.7% from the field and 33.7% from deep.
Sixers Could Trade Drummond
According to Adam Aaronson of the Philly Voice, Drummond’s second tenure with the Sixers could be coming to an end. Aaronson noted how Daryl Morey could look to trade the veteran big man during the offseason.
“Every dollar will be precious for the Sixers as they try to re-sign Yabusele, Quentin Grimes and perhaps veteran swingman Kelly Oubre Jr., particularly if the Sixers end up keeping their top-six protected first-round pick,”Aaronson wrote. “This situation makes it feel likely that the Sixers will at least be kicking the tires on redirecting Drummond’s $5 million expiring salary if he picks up his player option (it is difficult to imagine him not doing so).”
Drummond, 31, is still good enough to make an impact for the right team. However, the Sixers need to rebuild their bench rotation, which could mean Drummond is an unfortunate casualty. Fortunately for Drummond, he can rest easy knowing that multiple teams around the league would be interested in his rebounding and interior scoring.
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