From the moment he joined the Brooklyn Nets James Harden quickly embraced a leadership role with the Philadelphia 76ers. As an All-Star and former MVP, he understands that it is up to him to help lead the charge alongside Joel Embiid. Even before his debut on the pitch, Harden’s voice was already having an impact.
In his early days with the team, Harden regularly praised Tyrese Maxey. The young guard has caught his eye, and Harden feels the two will work well together. In three games, Philadelphia’s new backcourt duo thrived, more than living up to those optimistic expectations.
Maxey went out for a big night in the Sixers’ 123-108 win over the New York Knicks on Wednesday, but the 21-year-old didn’t have a great start. Going into the interval, he had only scored four points out of five shot attempts.
After half-time, Maxey was a completely different player. He went on to score 21 points in 19 minutes of action in the second half, firing a stellar 5 for 7 from the field and 7 for 8 from the free throw line. When all was said and done, Maxey was the Sixers’ third scorer with 25 points.
Maxey spoke to the media post-match and talked about his incredible second half surge. He cited the conversation with Harden at half-time as the thing that motivated him to be more aggressive in the last two quarters.
James Harden Maglia“James came up to me and asked me if I was going to play today, and I said yes. Having guys like James, Joel [Embiid]Tobias [Harris]Spencer [Rivers] he came up to me and talked to me a little bit behind and told me I have to be aggressive. I can’t walk around like that, being passive, “Maxey said.
Later, Harden talked about why he went to Maxey and encouraged him to be more assertive on the offensive side. He feels that Maxey’s score is essential to the team’s success.
“We need him to be aggressive, a lot of times in the game. I know it’s difficult because obviously Joel and I have the ball, but when he has a chance, he has to be aggressive, we need it. That second half, he played like we all need you to play, ”Harden said.
Harden is right to push Maxey to keep his aggression on offense. The opposing defenses are going to throw everything at the two All-Stars, and to fight that, they need Philly’s supporting cast to make plays when they’re there. So far, Maxey has been the biggest standout when it comes to making the opponent pay to put their attention on Embiid and Harden, averaging 24.3 points per game on searing 64.3% shot since the latter’s debut.
Maxey has always been open to receiving advice from those around him and understands that he can learn a lot from his new All-Star teammate. Having Harden in your ear is already paying huge dividends for both Maxey and the Sixers.
